Corruption, bullying and threats - Is N Srinivasan the right man to lead ICC?

John Oliver on his HBO show recently ripped apart FIFA to shreds for being a big corrupt bully whose actions are not always for the betterment of the game of football. ICC have long been accused of the same. Now that N Srinivasan - the former President of the BCCI and owner of the IPL franchisee, CSK - has taken over the reigns and the power structure of the entire organization resting with the cricket boards of India, Australia and England, the question now arises if ICC has become a huge monster like FIFA. That is one scary thought and with Srinivasan's appointment one can bet with certainty on this!

This is what Emperor Palpatine would look like in real life.

Srinivasan is an industrialist from a rich family with many connections. His younger brother Ramachandran is the head of the Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association, president of the Indian Olympic Association and the chief of World Squash Federation. Srinivasan has been the president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association for over a decade and he had the constitution of the board changed so that there was no limit to the tenure of presidency. Srinivasan joined the BCCI under the tutelage of then BCCI president, AC Muthiah (who he eventually pushed out of office in a power struggle that saw Jagmohan Dalmiya into power).To understand just how bad Srinivasan's appointment to the ICC is, one must first understand who really is Srinivasan. Who is this wolf of cricket?

Since then he has gained prominence in the BCCI and during the formation of the IPL, despite being the then treasurer of BCCI, he gained an ownership stake in Chennai Super Kings. This was a direct contradiction of the BCCI clause (no administrator of BCCI could have had, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches or events conducted by the cricket board), and hence Srinivasan had the BCCI amend that rule. Despite the evident conflict of interest, Srinivasan went on to become the president of the BCCI and under him BCCI bullied and coerced ICC to make decisions in its favor, often threatening to pull out of a tour or even ICC. During his reign as president, he shuffled around members of the BCCI and anyone who opposed him was quietly shown the door.

Even after Srinivasan's son-in-law and CSK team principal - Gurunath Meiyappan got arrested for his involvement in illegal betting and providing inside information to bookies, Srinivasan remained defiant and only after the Supreme Court of India stepped in and forced Srinivasan to resign, commenting that it was 'nauseating' to see him in office, did he leave loudly protesting. Srinivasan also heads the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation and the All India Chess Federation.

Great sport. Great spirit. And now great corruption?

Now that is the man who now heads the body which is in charge of the game called cricket! He makes Sepp Blatter look like a cute puppy next to him!Even in his private life, Srinivasan has come across as a ruthless figure, with his son claiming physical and mental abuse by his father for being a homosexual.

So is the ICC the same as FIFA? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain. If FIFA and ICC join hands, they can form one large syndicate and rule the world.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal opinion of the author, and not necessarily of Sportskeeda.