As matters stand, Reebok insists the contract is no longer valid, while the BCA insists that the contract is still on, and that the multinational sports shoe giant will be held to it.
The three year contract, which was signed between the BCA and Reebok on October 1, 1995, ran aground when Reebok sent a brusque note to the BCA stating that since the players affiliated to it had not used the Reebok logo on their pads, bats and shoes during the Bombay league matches, the contract was being considered as breached.
The original contract had stipulated that Reebok would pay the BCA Rs two million annually, for three years, provided the players displayed its logo prominently during league matches.
Speaking to Rediff On The NeT, Professor Ratnakar Shetty, joint secretary of the BCA, said, ``Nowhere in the agreement does it say that the players affiliated to the BCA have to sport the logos on their pads, kits and bats. Moreover, the agreement also stipulates that if there is any discrepancy in the con- tract, then the two parties must immediately contact each other. But for all of last year, Reebok never mentioned anything to us about any breach of contract.''
The BCA, Shetty feels, has more grounds to feel aggrieved though Reebok, as per the contract, was due to pay Rs one million to the association at the beginning of each domestic season - this sum being half the annual total sponsorship - the company has only payed Rs 0.5 million thus far. This, Shetty points out, is a clear violation of contract.
``Interestingly,'' says Shetty, ``in the recent Irani Trophy tournament held in September, Reebok only provided players with T-shirts sporting the company logo, so where was the question of their sporting it on their bats and pads?''
Funnily enough, Reebok has similar contracts with the state cricket associations of Punjab and Karnataka, as also with the Indian Hockey Federation for the national hockey team. And all four of these contracts are running smoothly, while the one with the BCA seems to be in hot water and getting hotter by the minute.
``We would like to continue our contract with the BCA, negotiations are on and we are sure the problem will be solved soon'' says Siddharth Verma, general manager, marketing, Reebok. Asked about the alleged delay in paying the stipulated monies to the BCA, Verma said, ``No comment. At this stage, I do not want to discuss this issue.''
Shetty too feels that it is in the interests of the BCA to resume the contract with Reebok, as the league players will benefit. For the time being, the assocation is paying out of its treasury the money Reebok should have invested. ``We would not be able to keep doing this for too long, the issue must be settled speedily,'' Verma feels.