Tendulkar denies allegation of 'conflict of interest' levelled against him

Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday denied the allegation of 'conflict of interest' against him, clarifying that neither he received any 'monetary benefits' nor played any part in the decision making process for the Mumbai Indians.

In his 14-point written response to the notice sent by Ombudsman-cum-Ethics Officer Justice (Retd) DK Jain on Wednesday, Tendulkar said, "At the outset, the noticee (Tendulkar) denies the contents of the Complaint in totality (except the statements specifically admitted herein). No part of the Complaint should be deemed to be admitted by the Noticee for lack of specific denials."

"The Noticee has received no pecuniary benefit/ compensation from the Mumbai Indians IPL Franchise in his capacity as the Mumbai Indians 'ICON' since his retirement, and is certainly not employed with the Franchise in any capacity," reads the reply of Tendulkar.

"He does not occupy any position, nor has he taken any decision (including the selection of team players) which could qualify as being in governance or management of the Franchise. Therefore, the post listed in Rule 38 (4)(j) is inapplicable to the Noticee. Accordingly, there is no conflict of interest, either under the BCCI Rules or otherwise," the reply further reads.

Moreover, Tendulkar termed the complainant Sanjeev Gupta's question of him sitting in the team's dugout as 'absurd.'

"A mentor cannot be qualified as "management" of the franchise. If the complainant's absurd logic were to be applied, a physiotherapist, trainer or a masseur would also be qualified as "management" of the Franchise," the response further reads.

A complaint was received by the Ombudsman under Article 39 of the rules and regulations of the BCCI, regarding certain acts allegedly constituting as a conflict of interest on Tendulkar's part as he is a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) as well as serving as a mentor for the Mumbai Indians.