Anjana Kalhara
The Sports Ministry has introduced tough new regulations which will prevent anyone who is even remotely associated with the betting industry from holding office at Sri Lanka Cricket, announced Minister of Sports Harin Fernando.
“The previous law did not specify it, so we have toughened it to be in line with the ICC Code of Conduct, and if a person is connected to the gaming industry or if any of his family members are connected to the gaming industry he will not be eligible to hold office at SLC”, the Minister stated.
Sri Lankan Cricket has been mired in corruption scandals in recent years, including claims of match fixing ahead of the international Test against England last year.
Sports Minister Harin Fernando said he was introducing regulations to bring the country in line with the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Code of Conduct, which bans individuals with connections to the gambling industry from being involved in the sport’s administration.
“From now on, anyone who is involved in betting or has a close relative involved in betting will not be able to hold office (at SLC),” Fernando said.
The present regulation in the Sports Law relating to the betting industry in the 2016 Regulation Act, Section 5(4) (n) states:
“A person shall be disqualified from being elected or otherwise to hold or continue to hold any paid or unpaid office or to hold any paid or unpaid post or to be a member of a Committee of any National Association of Sports or to be a nominee of an affiliated club or organisation in a National Association of Sports, if he is directly or indirectly involved in carrying out the business of gaming, betting or wagering.”
The ICC Code of Conduct Section 7.29 (d) of the Code of Ethics, under Betting, Gaming or Gambling, is stricter and specified in the matter which states:
“It is not permitted and a Director shall be in breach of this Code if a member of his immediate family (being a spouse, parent, sibling, son or daughter) has a controlling interest in a betting business, a substantial relationship with a betting business or is employed in the day to day operational control of a betting business.”
Fernando claimed the new regulation has been carefully written in line with this.
Harin has ensured he has a share in the pie. There is more posts about ‘the man Harin’ in the media than cricket itself. Who wants his grand standing face in the media. Can the media please stick with reporting about the sport and not about this joker meddling…. please!