Sunday, September 29, 2013

Sports Body or Banana Republic?

I think most people remember Saddam Hussain regularly winning "elections" in Iraq with 99% of the votes.

A person who has done the most public of whitewashings of evidence in recent times is elected unopposed to the post of president of one of the most powerful sports bodies in the world. An office that the Supreme Court of the nation has barred him from holding currently.

A sports body that is apparently threatening to call off one of the most eagerly awaited sporting contests of recent times because they don't like the person appointed to head the equivalent sports body in the other nation.

A sports body that gives strict instructions to commentators what they can and cannot say on air. I could never get tired of hearing "Erapalli Prasanna" or "Horizontal Bat Shots" in that delightful Australian accent all day, but due to the spine of one person and the spineless nature of said sports body, fans in a country are going to miss out on one of the most honest and direct commentators in the business.

A sports body, the association with which diminishes the aura of former cricketing greats.

A sports body so mired in shenanigans that they make a person who even united fierce political rivals in their condemnation of him, seem like the sympathetic figure.

A sports body where horse trading is rampant that even factions have their internal fights.

A sports body where the election is so important that critical people don't even bother to turn up for the AGM.

It is time somebody called the whole thing nonsense that deserves to be torn up.