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Guilty players will be banned

New Delhi, July 17

Any Indian cricketer, team official or umpire found guilty of match-fixing will face a ban for life and those betting on any match will be barred for five years under a draft code of conduct drawn up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

All players and team officials also will be required to sign an agreement with the BCCI pledging to abide by the code of conduct in respect of betting, match-fixing and general conduct.

The code, to be finalised by the board's three-member committee in Mumbai on July 24 and submitted to sports minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa in New Delhi on August 1, will come into force from the India-Pakistan Sahara Cup series to be played in Toronto from September 9.

In respect of match-fixing, each player will be required to follow the following code of conduct:

1. Player will not be a party to contriving or attempting to contrive the result of any match or the occurrence of any event.

2. Player should not fail to perform on his merits in any match owing to an arrangement relating to betting on the outcome of any match or on the occurrence of any event.

3. Player shall not induce or encourage any other player not to perform on his merits in any match owing to any such arrangement.

4. Player shall not receive from another person any money, benefit or other reward (financial or otherwise) for the provision of any information concerning weather, teams, state of the ground, the status or outcome of any match or the occurrence of any event unless such information has been provided to the media in accordance with the obligation entered into in the normal course and disclosed in advance to the cricket authority of the relevant member country.

5. Player shall not receive any money, benefit or other reward (financial or otherwise) which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute.

6. Player shall not provide any money, benefit or other reward (financial or otherwise) which could bring him or the game into disrepute.

Penalty: if any player is found to contravene this provision he will be debarred from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorised by BCCI or its affiliated associations for the rest of his life.

The stipulations regarding betting are:

1. Player shall not bet on any match or series of matches or on any event connected with him.

2. Player shall not induce or encourage any other person to bet on any match or series of matches or on any event or offer the facility for such bets to be placed.

3. Player shall not gamble or enter into any other form of financial speculation on any match or event.

4. Player shall not induce or encourage any other person to gamble or enter into any other form of financial speculation on any match or event.

Penalty: any player found to contravene this provision, will be debarred from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorised by BCCI or its affiliated units for a maximum period of five years.

The general code of conduct covers the following:

1. All forms of betting on cricket by players are banned. The variety of offeneses include betting on any match, encouraging anyone else to bet on matches, gambling or any other form of financial speculation.

2. When approaches are made to the players by or on behalf of bookmakers, players are obliged to inform the local police and the team management immediately.

The code also requires that a player, unless prevented by illness or other sufficient cause, shall punctually attend all activities prescribed by the team manager or captain. He shall be present at the ground at least one hour before the start of play and leave only with the consent of the captain.

A player is obliged to play in any match or matches he is selected for and can be excused from not playing only by the manager after he is satisfied with the reasons given.

The player shall comply with all ground regulations and stay only at the hotels arranged by the board. No player is allowed to write for any newspaper, magazine or journal without prior written permission from the board president.

He shall also not take part in any TV or radio broadcast or publish or arrange or permit the publication of any book or article dealing with cricket till 12 months after the completion of a tour or series.

Nor is he allowed to communicate with the media in any capacity, directly or indirectly, concerning matter connected with the tour or team or the board of officials of other countries.

The players are allowed to use private sponsors' logos only on bats and boots. For the rest they have to wear the logos of the sponsors contracted by the board. First default would attach a fine of Rs 15,000 and it will be doubled to Rs 30,000 for a second offence. The amount will be deducted from their allowances and the guilty will not be eligible for selection to and play in any matches run or conducted by BCCI.

For aggrieved players there is the right to appeal as provided in BCCI's memorandum and rules and regulations.

The players are also not allowed to play in matches - cricket or other disciplines - outside the official programme without the consent of BCCI.

The code for general conduct also stipulates that players accept umpire's decision without any public protest and refrain from verbal abuse of players, umpires and spectators.

Source: PTI