The suspended Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi has sought more time to answer corruption charges that have sparked a government investigation into the cricket tournament, sources said.
Modi was due to respond to the allegations by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which suspended Modi as head of the IPL two weeks ago pending its own probe into corruption, tax evasion and money-laundering.
However, sources also told that the extension was sought after the board had failed to hand out some documents that Modi had asked for to prepare his reply.
"He wants five more days," a BCCI source told AFP, adding that the extension was likely to be granted.
Modi has run the IPL as a virtual one-man show since its inception three years ago but his flamboyance and often divisive personality has not found much support both within the BCCI, which owns the tournament, and world bodies as well.
"I am going to reply personally because there is nothing to hide," Modi was reported as saying to news channels on Saturday and on his Twitter page. "I have not gone anywhere. I have only been suspended."
Asked if the IPL would be affected by his suspension, Modi said the league would weather the current storm.
"We have built a strong organisation," he said. "I don't think the IPL will suffer. I think we have enough competent people to run the organisation. It's a very strong brand."
Modi's troubles began when he revealed the ownership details of a new franchise set to join the tournament in 2011.
He embarrassed a high-profile member of the government, junior foreign minister Shashi Tharoor, by leaking on Twitter how Tharoor's girlfriend had been given a free stake in the new team.
The charges and counter-allegations resulted in opening a can of worms where all the existing IPL franchises came under scanner and Modi's own links with a couple of the eight franchises.
The charges faced by Modi include rigging IPL bids, holding proxy stakes in teams, taking cash from companies in return for broadcasting deals, and having a dictatorial management style.
Modi faced another scandal last week when it emerged he tried to divide England cricket by proposing a parallel event with at least three English counties.
The England's cricket chief Giles Clarke has complained about this in an email to Indian officials, though the three counties concerned have gone ahead and defended Modi, saying there was just a plan up for discussion to use the Test grounds in England to better use and the talks had nothing to hide about.
* Agencies
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
