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, Betwinner is a betting company with over 4,00,000 users, said the company website.
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.
