‘Pepsi’s intention to withdraw from IPL is a big blow to BCCI’

Ehasan Mani likened the Pepsi-IPL issue to the FIFA scandal that has rocked international football and has resulted in Sepp Blatter being suspended.

Pepsico’s notice to the BCCI citing concerns regarding the continuation of their association with the Indian Premier League (IPL) is not simply a case of a major sponsor withdrawing but a red flag staring the richest board in the face, according to two veteran cricket administrators who have seen it all in the business.

If Ali Bacher, who championed South Africa’s re-entry into international cricket and is the most powerful adminstrator his country’s ever had, calls this a “wake-up call for Indian cricket”, former ICC president Ehsan Mani insists that Pepsi severing ties would be a “big blow to BCCI’s reputation”.

“Pepsi are a massive global company. It’s not like a local domestic sponsor that is withdrawing. What they seem to be saying is, ‘Listen we have a problem. Match-fixing that surfaced with Hansie Cronje in 2000 has still not been eliminated and we don’t want to be part of it’. It is a very significant signal to the BCCI, and they need to heed it,” said Bacher, who led the organizing committee of the 2003 World Cup, which was held in South Africa with Pepsi as a key sponsor.

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Mani, meanwhile, recounted how certain sponsors had considered backing out after the Cronje match-fixing fiasco that was unearthed in 2000, and eventually led to the late South African captain being banned from international cricket. He even likened the Pepsi-IPL issue to the FIFA scandal that has rocked international football and has resulted in Sepp Blatter being suspended.

“When sponsors are not sure about the integrity of their product, they take exception. They always want the highest ethical standards and even a hint of corruption makes them iffy. I still remember that during the Cronje-gate, some sponsors of the ICC seriously thought about backing out. More recently, as the FIFA scandal broke, four of their sponsors demanded Sepp Blatter’s resignation,” says the man, who held the reins of the ICC between 2003-2006.

As reported by The Indian Express on Friday, PepsiCo had decided to cut its ties with the IPL as a result of the spot-fixing crisis that had brought the game into ‘disrepute’ thereby further dampening the reputation of the cash-rich league.

But according to Bacher, Pepsi’s potential withdrawal wouldn’t just ensure that the IPL brand suffers but it would mean that Indian cricket itself takes a hit.

“You can’t separate the IPL from BCCI when all the top players in India are playing in it.  It is one. The ultimate responsibility is with the BCCI. It’s not for me to tell the BCCI what they should do but there’s definitely a signal out there from Pepsi that they still have problems with cricket in India,” he explained. Bacher though didn’t believe that Pepsi’s decision could have an impact on the participation of the many South African cricketers who play and star in the IPL.

“The money is so big that cricketers from all over the world are going to be keen to play in the IPL. The money is so big. It’s simple as that. You can’t expect players to withdraw because of Pepsi’s omission,” he said.

Not surprisingly, former BCCI president and present ICC chairman, N Srinivasan, too came in for criticism for his alleged inaction after the spot-fixing scandal broke out in 2013. And Mani, who’s never been among the biggest fans of the IPL, also agreed that the sponsorship dilemma might have had roots in the betting controversy, which Srinivasan didn’t deal with the way it could have been.

“I’ve nothing personal against Mr Srinivasan, but he ostensibly put his personal interests above the game. The irony is that he’s the ICC chairman and Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board are supporting him. Someone, whom the Supreme Court of India declared not fit to run the BCCI, is running world cricket,” said Mani.

The former head of global cricket administration though did feel that being a massive international brand and a sponsor of the ICC, Pepsi had sent a message on behalf of all sponsors that if cricket didn’t protect its integrity, the sport could suffer.

He said, “For far too long, we’ve taken the sponsors for granted.”