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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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PCB in a fix

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is in a fix after allowing Misbah-ul-Haq to play for liquor baron Vijay Mallya-owned Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL as it is in conflict with its policy of discouraging players from associating themselves with alcohol brands.

Mallya owns the United Breweries group, manufacturers of leading alcohol brands in India, and Royal Challenge happens to be the name of a leading spirit brand of the UB group.

PCB CEO Shafqat Naghmi said the board does not encourage its players to promote or endorse alcohol and tobacco products.

“Players usually take prior clearance for endorsing or starring in any brand commercials. I am not sure whether Misbah has taken permission for the Royal Challengers and I am also not sure whether he is required to wear or market any brand of the UB group,” Naghmi said.

“But yes we do discourage our players from even sporting logos promoting alcohol or tobacco products,” he admitted.

Naghmi said the board would look into the matter.

Alcohol consumption is against the tenets of Islam and banned in Pakistan. Even tobacco advertising on television and in sports was banned by the government a few years ago.

To complicate matters, the Indian Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss recently said the Bangalore team’s name amounted to surrogate advertising and promoted alcohol. — PTI

Our Principal Correspondent reports from Bangalore:

The management group of Royal Challengers Bangalore has categorically said that Misbah is not associated with any liquor brand. Reacting to reports from Pakistan which stated that Misbah, by playing for the Royal Challengers, is promoting a liquor brand that belongs to the UB Group, the franchise holders of the team, Royal Challengers CEO Charu Sharma said: “I would like to state that Misbah-ul-Haq is not associated with any liquor brand. Royal Challengers Bangalore is a team owned by Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited and is in no way connected to any liquor brand.

“These are aspersions cast on him and we don’t agree with them. I would also like to state that earlier a Public Interest Litigation on the team allegedly promoting liquor brands was filed in the Supreme Court and it has been dismissed. As far as we are concerned, Misbah is a critical player for our team’s success.”

Dravid’s take

Meanwhile the team’s skipper Rahul Dravid said: “If it is an issue it will be dealt between IPL and the PCB. Misbah has been around with the team for more than a week, why create an issue now?”

Former Pakistan skipper Aamir Sohail, who is here as a television commentator, when probed on the Misbah issue, said: “I need time to react on this. It is a sensitive issue.”

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