BCB to seek clarification from Shakib

Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan is once again caught in a controversy after he announced a new partnership deal with a surrogate brand of an online betting company without the consent of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

On August 2, Shakib through his verified Facebook and Instagram account shared a picture of himself wearing a jersey with the name “Betwinner” on his chest and holding a bat with the sticker of “Betwinner News” on the back of the blade.

In the verified account, Shakib wrote, “Dear fans! I am proud to announce my new official partnership with Betwinner News! Betwinner News is one and only source of sports news! If you want to be always in trend and find the most important match analysis and sports highlights, then Betwinner News is for you! Search for Betwinner News on the Internet!”

Betwinner News also confirmed the partnership through a Twitter announcement, “What’s up, fans! We are happy to present you our latest ambassador, the most famous and the top cricket player from Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan.”

Betwinner is a betting company with over 400,000 users, said the company website. It is owned and operated by Prevailer B.V as a license holder and registered in a Dutch Caribbean Tax Haven Island Curacao.

Astonishingly, Shakib did not take permission from the BCB before making the tie-up with Betwinner News, a surrogate brand of the betting site. BCB President Nazmul Hassan told the media on Thursday that Shakib did not ask for permission.

“There is no question about taking permission because we will never give him permission. If it is something betting-related, we will not permit him. This means he did not ask for permission,” Nazmul said in a media briefing after the BCB board directors’ meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Nazmul told the media that the BCB will investigate the matter.

“The issue was raised in the board meeting as well. We asked to immediately find out how it happened. A notice will be served. Board’s position is very clear on this issue, this is not possible by any means,” said the BCB president.

According to BCB’s non-eligibility criteria for endorsement or sponsorship, any companies related to tobacco, alcohol (surrogated, non-surrogated), betting, or online betting are not eligible.

Betwinner News carries the same colour pattern, and design pallet that Betwinner, the betting website, carries. Shakib has served a year-long ban for not reporting multiple approaches from bookmaker Deepak Agarwal. He is the current Test captain and is almost certain to become the T20 captain in the Asia Cup taking place in the UAE and the T20 World Cup in Australia. Such involvements might sound fishy, which the BCB president also admitted.

“First let us know what really happened. According to the laws of Bangladesh, this is illegal. This is a very serious issue. We should not depend on Facebook only and investigate what happened. We have to find it out. If it really happened, the cricket board will do the needful,” Nazmul told the media on Thursday.