BCCI on warpath; says it would reject MPA in present form

Mumbai, Oct 3 (UNI) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today held out a threat to the ICC that it would not sign the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) sent by the world governing body unless it is drastically modified.

Speaking to reporters after the cricket board's special committee meeting to discuss this issue, BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said the Board is firm in protecting its own as well as its players' commercial interests.

''We are not going to fall into the trap like we did before the last World Cup. We are keen to protect our sponsors' rights as well as our players' rights (on endorsements). We have prepared a draft at our meeting today on the MPA issue which will be circulated to the players,'' Modi added.

The MPA pertains to all the ICC tournaments from 2007 to 2015, including the 2011 World Cup to be hosted in the Indian sub-continent.

The Board's special committee headed by its president Sharad Pawar and other members comprising former president I S Bindra and administrative head Ratnakar Shetty met today and decided on the draft to be sent to the ICC in a couple of days, Modi said.

''We have been given a week's deadline by the ICC starting yesterday to send our reply,'' Modi, who is also BCCI's marketing committee head, said.

''We will reply it clause by clause. I am confident our players will support us and we are determined to support our players in protection of their (endorsement) rights,'' he added.

Asked what specific clauses the BCCI was objecting to for not signing the MPA in its present format, Modi said there were several and added that in a worse case scenario the board would not sign it.

''We will not sign the MPA in its present form by which the ICC has also the unilateral right to change the MPA.

They should recognise the members' rights too. There are lot of ambiguities,'' Modi said.

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