Sikkim: SICA accuses Baichung Bhutia of making "False Remarks" regarding funds

Guwahati: The Sikkim Cricket Association (SICA) has accused ace Footballer, Padmashri Baichung Bhutia of making "false remarks" against the association.

The association has claimed that Bhutia on several occasions has "passed false remarks" before the press after he said that SICA receives grants in aid to a tune of Rs 15 to 20 Crores per year from the BCCI.

The SICA in a statement said, "This is entirely false and we urge Baichung to get his facts checked before speaking out against other associations or sporting bodies, who are only trying their best to help the state of Sikkim and its people."

They added, "SICA would also take this opportunity to inform the general public that all and any grants received by us is in the public domain and has been made available for anyone interested, through the BCCI website.

We at SICA would also like to state that money doesn’t equate to good governance, various structural reforms have been undertaken by SICA bringing in transparency in all aspects from governance to financial matters, introduction and formation of District bodies and even giving them voting rights and powers in governance." 

Baichung Bhutia had recently stated that most of the big or small states in India are running with no funds from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Bhaichung then allegedly claimed that the state-level cricket association is receiving Rs 15-Rs 20 crore budget from the BCCI for cricket development but there are no funds for football.