Demonetization and its effect on Indian sports

Debasish Da
Banned 500 and 1000 rupees notes after the demonetisation move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Internet Desk: Demonetization drive by Prime Minister Narendra Modi did take its toll on the sports fraternity as well. A little over a week ago, the prime minister has scrapped off the daily usage of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes in an attempt to drive away the detrimental presence of black money from the Indian economy in what has been touted as one of the bravest decisions ever taken by an Indian Prime Minister in the recent past.

Although a lot of debates and discussions have been going on since then regarding the stance taken by the PM, one cannot deny the inconvenience that is being faced by the common Indians as a result of the sudden announcement.

So much so, that cricket – a sport governed by the BCCI, one of the richest sporting bodies in the world – has also been severely affected by the aforementioned financial policy. According to a number of sources, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is struggling to conduct Ranji Trophy matches due to the sudden ban of once mundane denominations.

The Indian test captain, Virat Kohli had also gone through a similar ordeal in Rajkot recently when he had tried to pay his hotel bills with his old money only to realize they are nothing but “useless” pieces of paper right now. The 27-year-old, however, was all praises for the new demonetization policy taken by PM Modi hailing it as the greatest move in the country’s political history.

“For me, it’s the greatest move I’ve seen in the history of Indian politics by far, hands down. I’ve been so impressed by it. It’s unbelievable,” Kohli told the media ahead of the second test match in Vizag.

“I was taking out my old money while paying my hotel bill in Rajkot. I forgot that it’s not of any use anymore. I could have actually signed on it and given it to people. It’s that useless now,” the Indian test skipper added.

All India Tennis Association secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee welcomed the move. At the same time he voiced his concerns as well. “AITA is organizing various age level tournaments at the present. Normally the prize money is given in cash to the winners. But with the present situation we are forced to issue cheques.”

Hockey India President Narinder Batra feels it is a bold decision by the Modi government which needs to be complimented. The association is having no problems as far as the running of day to day affairs is concerned. According to Batra, “The country will get benefited in the long run due to the demonetization move by the Government. We are also facing crisis organizing various tournaments. But we have to accept that and move ahead.”

All India Football Federation secretary, Mr Kushal Das welcomed the decision. According to Mr Das, “All our day to day transactions are done online or through cheques. We have not faced any problem so far.”

With the forthcoming I League commencing in January next year, AIFF is hopeful that the existing crisis will be resolved.

According to the AIFF secretary, “We wouldn’t have faced any problem even if the I League and Federation Cup was staged at this time. Our daily expenses involving cash is very minimal.”

The demonetization drive also had its effect regionally as well. For instance the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) treasurer, Biswarup Dey – however – feels that now with almost a week gone since the announcement was made, the situation is a bit under control. “Most of our transactions here at the CAB are made through cheques. So, the announcement didn’t quite have as big an impact on us as many would’ve thought. However, the daily allowance which we had to pay to our cricketers including our Under-19 side on match days was a bit of an issue since the majority of the payments were done through Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 denominations,” Dey told xtratime.in.

The Bengal Olympic Association head, Ajit Banerjee also spoke on the lines of Biswarup Dey as he told xtratime.in that the organization usually resorts to cheques and net-banking when it comes to any major transaction. “However, had we organized any tournament or athletic meet during that period, there would have been a problem,” he added.

The Bengal team is currently in Rajkot taking part in the Ranji Trophy Group A clash against Tamil Nadu. The cricketers did face the problem as they were already travelling when the announcement was made. According to Bengal manager Samir Dasgupta, “Normally it is a practice that the players spend on their own for lunch. But due to the contingencies CAB is paying for their lunch as well. Players have been asked to spend their personal expenses using their cards which will be reimbursed later.”

As far as the I League clubs are concerned, both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have a system in place to pay most of the expenses in cheques. The daily expenses like the food bills are paid on a monthly basis. So, both clubs are not concerned with the situation. But the smaller clubs of the maidan are the worst sufferers as they totally depend on the daily cash transactions.