Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has come under sharp attack from some former cricketers for his alleged conflict of interest for having stakes in the sports management company, which handles him and three of his Indian teammates.
Dhoni found himself in a controversy when it came to light that he had 15 per cent stake in Rhiti Sports, which also manages Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha, besides the Indian captain.
However, the firm has made it clear that Dhoni was a shareholder only for a brief period, and currently has no stakes.
But former Indian cricketers and sports management executives feel that Dhoni should not put himself in such a position where questions could be raised about a possible conflict of interest.
“Obviously, the documents that have come out indicates that it has been a conflict of interest as far as Dhoni’s involvement with Rhiti Sports is concerned,” former cricketer Kirti Azad told PTI .
“I don’t mind if an ex-cricketer is acting as an agent for a living. But when I see Pragyan Ojha being relegated to second choice left-arm spinner suddenly and Ravindra Jadeja being valued at USD 2 million after being banned for trying to cut underhand deals in IPL, I guess something is wrong.
“Also if the company didn’t have sufficient money, how did they issue shares and paid it back,” Azad pointed out.
Another former cricketer Maninder Singh also felt if the captain indeed had shares it was a clear case of conflict of interest.
“But who do you expect to stop the rot when the BCCI president has gone against everyone who has stood up for the game...basically the president has been saving the captain who is also vice-president in his company,” he said.
Former India opener Chetan Chauhan said ethically it was not correct for Dhoni to have stakes in the company, which manages him.
“Ethically this is not correct. It seems to be trickling down from the president. The Board officials need to take some harsh decisions and make it clear what business the players and officials can float of their own,” he said.
Madan Lal said that it was not proper for Dhoni to have stakes in the company but did not think he could manipulate team selection.
“There is no question that if it is true, there is a conflict of interest,” he said.
VVS Laxman felt that the Indian skipper should sell off his shares, if he had any, as it could drive him into a compromising situation.
“When such a problem arises, stakeholder should come out of the company by selling his shares off. I think that can solve all the problems at one go,” he said.
