Rahul Johri was brought in to boost the image of BCCI and boost revenue. Although he did manage to succeed in helping the sports body rake in the moolah via sponsorship and telecast deals, his tenure cannot be termed as a lasting legacy for a corporate leader looking to make the switch
The news of Rahul Johri stepping down as the CEO of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not really come as a shock to those following the state of affairs at the richest sporting body in the country.
Despite ensuring a massive rise in the sports body's coffers, his tenure also witnessed some controversial episodes, which included allegations of sexual harassment against him.
He was, however, given a clean chit by a probe panel, although former member Dian Edulji of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) did not agree with the conclusions of the panel.
Johri played a key role in selling Team India jersey rights to Oppo for Rs 1,079 crore, IPL title sponsorship to Vivo for Rs 2,199 crore and India cricket rights to Star India for Rs 6,138.1 crore.
But the softening of BCCI's purported clout at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and cut in its revenue share also took place during his tenure.
But it is important to note that Johri's appointment was made at a time the sports body was looking to induct professionals from the corporate world to spruce up its image.
Sports bodies in India have seen the creation of fiefdoms by administrators over the years and Indian cricket, which was trying to emerge from the IPL match fixing scandal and years of high-handedness of a certain section of office bearers, was looking forward to a new beginning.
Johri’s stint may have had its fair share of controversies, but it also reflects that corporate ways may not always be able to fix the age-old malaises plaguing sports administration in the country.
Moneycontrol reached out to Johri seeking his views but received no response till the time of this article's publication.
Does the Johri episode at BCCI send out a wrong signal for professionals who have been looking to take the plunge into sports administration?
Shiv Agrawal, Managing Director, ABC Consultants, feels that is an unlikely scenario and there won’t be any dearth of talented professionals looking to play a leading role in India’s growth as a sporting nation.
"I don't think there will be an adverse impact of this episode on BCCI’s ability to hire top professionals from the corporate world. They will be flooded with applications if they post an advertisement for the position," he told Moneycontrol.
Sports bodies in India share an umbilical cord with politicians. Agrawal said as long as that association is there, it would be a challenge to ensure full professional functioning of these sports bodies.
On the role of head-hunters in this space, Agrawal said his organisation had started the sports vertical three years ago, but it has not got the expected response that they were hoping to get.
"We saw an opportunity for professionals after the advent of various sports leagues, but the results have not been great. We had started the vertical with the belief that there was untapped growth potential, but unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out as we had envisioned," he lamented.
But for Sunando Dhar, League CEO and associated with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for over a decade, the experience of working at the sports body has been very rewarding.
Having joined AIFF a decade ago, Dhar said it is imperative for sports bodies in the country to recruit professionals.
He does, however, admit that he had apprehensions before taking up the AIFF offer.
"I was apprehensive before taking up the offer (I-League CEO) because I had to relocate to a new city and start afresh. Leaving an organisation after working there for over 13 years was also playing on my mind. But I was welcomed into the AIFF fold. There has been a sea change in the working of the federation over the last few years. The presence of Kushal Das (AIFF General Secretary) also aided and he helped me settle into the role. There are different verticals now and escalation only takes place when it is considered extremely important. Also, the average age of employees has come down to 30 from 45 and having passionate and young people has helped us in implementing our policies," Dhar said.
He feels it is imperative for sports federations to be run by professionals as elected members are not fully able to devote their time.
"Elected members should be there for guidance, but the day to day functioning should be undertaken by professionals. They can give an overall direction, but execution has to be done by professionals. The job's deliverables should be as similar as any other role. Activities have been ramped up in the last few years and if not for funding constraints, I am sure recruitments would have happened," he added.
Although there won't be any problems for a cash-rich body like BCCI to attract top-notch professionals, it remains to be seen whether they can set the right template for sports administration in the country.
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