The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) on Wednesday revealed that the All India Football Federation has sought from them a Rs 25 crore grant for the development of the game in the country.
"Praful Patel (acting President of the AIFF) has approached us for a grant of Rs 25 crore for the development of football," said BCCI's Finance Committee Chairman Rajiv Shukla on Wednesday.
Patel had neither confirmed nor denied news reports last month if the AIFF had asked the BCCI a one-time grant of Rs 10 crore to prepare the national team for the 2011 Asia Cup for which India have qualified after a long gap.
Shukla said the BCCI was now thinking whether it was better to give grants directly to the federations running other sports or support them through the government.
The BCCI had created a corpus of Rs 50 crore in 2008 by setting up the National Sports Development Fund for supporing five games - swimming, archery, judo, wrestling and shooting.
It has also given individual grants in the past to tennis player Karan Rastogi (Rs 40 lakh), squash player Aditya Jagtap (Rs 26 lakh) and shuttler Anand Pawar (Rs 14 lakh) as part of its policy to finance their training and participation.
Shukla also admitted that last financial year was not as profitable for the the BCCI as in the past few years due to curtailment of the series against England and the cancellation of the Pakistan tour in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
"The profits have got reduced, but there are higher earnings from the IPL (Indian Premier League)," he said without detailing the exact dip in the revenue.
Shukla also assured that all the women cricketers, who have not so far got their match fees for doing national duty, would soon get their dues.
"All the cricketers would be paid, women and juniors, immediately. All payments have been cleared," he said.
Shukla refused to be drawn into a discussion over the issue of some top cricketers being backed by the BCCI in their opposition to the controversial "whereabout clause" of the WADA's anti-doping code.
"The ICC has set up a committee to go into this. Let us give it time (to sort out the issue)," he said.
The ICC has set up the International Registered Testing Pool Working Group, headed by its anti-doping panel chief Tim Kerr to thrash out the burning issue. Former India skipper Anil Kumble is also a part of the group.
AIFF seeks financial aid from BCCI
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