Visaka Group of Industries threatened legal action, including filing defamation cases, against Hyderabad Cricket Association president Arshad Ayub if the latter continued to spread “baseless allegations”.
Speaking to media here on Tuesday, G. Vamsi Krishna, Director of Visaka Group, said that instead of being grateful for the support of Visaka to the HCA over the years since 2004 — including being the first group to contribute Rs. 4.32 crore for construction of stadium and also facilitating the allotment of site for the same — Arshad seemed to have a malafide intention in defaming the Visaka group and also a personal vendetta. “It is all the more ironical that he was himself a vice-president of the HCA when the agreement was signed and a member of the EC which expressed gratitude to the Visaka Group in writing in 2006,” he said. “We have even sacrificed branding rights of the stadium by not insisting on Visaka International Stadium as per our agreement with HCA. In the interest of the game, we decided to forego what would have been a great branding for the group itself by agreeing to the decision to name it Rajiv Gandhi Stadium,” Mr Vamsi Krishna said.
“Since the Arbitration Tribunal has awarded a payment of Rs. 25.92 crore by HCA to us as one-time settlement within 90 days, we hope this will be a settled issue,” the Visaka Director said to a query. “I don’t think we can continue our relationship with HCA given our bitter experience,” he said.
