Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) received monies from Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) from the national, a shocking revelation. The News said that the PSB granted the PCB Rs205 million, which dispersed it to the 2017 Champions Trophy winners. The cricketing association received cash for Olympic sports development, which is appalling.
Did PCB use money meant for Olympic sports?
The cash-rich PCB has repeatedly maintained in Senate and National Assembly committee sessions that it has never taken a penny from the national exchequer and is therefore not accountable to the government. The News learned that the Champions Trophy winning squad received Rs205 million from the PSB’s exchequer instead of the PCB. Since the prize money was for the cricketers, the board could take it, but the PSB was asked to release it instead, thus hurting the country’s Olympic sports.
The PSB produced records to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) showing that cricketers received Rs205 million from the PSB. The PCB is one of the richest organizations in the country and can spend heavily to aid cricketers. Olympic sports receive little government funding. It was unfair to remove PSB Olympic funds for cricketers.
The PCB looks after cricketers, but only the government can help other sportsmen prepare for national and international games, a sports federation official said. He considered that Rs205 million was taken from the Olympic athletes’ budget while the 12th South Asian Games in Nepal were approaching. It was unfair to take cricketers’ money from other sports’ budgets. Instead of withdrawing the money from the PSB, the PCB should have awarded the Champions Trophy-winning team the prize money.
“As the PCB’s patron-in-chief, the prime minister can divert funds or award prize money to cricketers. Why was PSB kitty money taken? PSB never sponsored federations heavily. The federation official said the Rs680 million special grant should have gone to Olympic sports.
