Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has enjoyed benefits from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) kitty, which is part of Pakistan’s National treasury.
Reportedly, in the past PCB was given Rs. 205 million from the Pakistan Sports Board exchequer after becoming victorious in the Champions Trophy 2017, that money was supposed to be used for the development of Olympic sports.
Despite all the tall claims by PCB that they have never extracted out a single penny from the national treasury, the money of the champions trophy winning team was distributed among the players from PSB’s exchequer rather than the PCB treasury, which the board claims that they earn hefty sums on yearly basis in terms of revenue.
The PCB officials have always maintained in NA Committee and Senate meetings that the government doesn’t support the cricket board financially.
In a statement to media outlets, the federation official said, “It was really unjust to pull out the amount for cricketers from the sports budget meant for other sports. The PCB should have come forward and given the prize money to the Champions Trophy winning team from its own instead of taking the money out of the PSB’s kitty.”
“The prime minister is the patron-in-chief of the PCB and has every right to divert some of the amount for cricketers’ benefit or award prize money to them. Then why was the amount taken out from the PSB kitty”, the federation official maintained.
Speaking to the media, the official said that, “The 12th South Asian Games was about to commence at that time in Nepal and Rs. 205 million was deducted from PSB’s treasury, even though it was meant for athletes of the Olympic Games”
“The PSB has never supported the federations in a big way. The hefty amount of Rs. 680 million it received as a special grant should have been diverted entirely to the Olympic sports,” he contemplated.
“The documents submitted with NAB by the PSB reveal that a hefty amount of Rs. 205 million was drawn from the PSB’s kitty for cricketers.” He concluded.
In the past there have been no bars on PCB taking funds from the PSB treasury which they get from the government and as a result, Olympic Sports and athletes who pursue their careers for dreams of winning a laurel for their country have been bearing the brunt.
