Afghanistan Board Sanctions Three Cricketers for Prioritising Franchise Leagues

The #Afghanistan Cricket Board has also decided to delay contracts of players who are prioritising franchise cricket

Taking the club versus country debate to the next level, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has decided to delay the 2024 annual central contracts for national players, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Naveen-ul-Haq for giving priority to franchise leagues.

The reason for the three players not signing the central contract was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritising their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility.

However, the ACB has now decided not to grant them No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the next two years following their intention to be released from their annual central contracts. It is necessary to have NBC from the national federation if a player wants to play in a foreign league like the Indian Premier League.

The ACB decided to impose sanctions on these three players after a committee recommended disciplinary measures against these players.

“The three players formally communicated their decision to the ACB, expressing their desire to release themselves from the annual central contract, starting from 1st January 2024, as well as requested to consider their consent for their participation in the national events,” a committee member was quoted as saying in a statement on Monday.

The committee recommended to the ACB not to award Central Contracts to these players starting from January 1, 2024. "The three players shall not be eligible for the central contract for one year. In this case, ACB will consider and decide their participation in events when needed," the committee recommended.

The ACB was also asked to delay granting No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the three players to participate in foreign leagues. The federation was also told to Consider these players as non-eligible to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for two years. All current NOCs shall be revoked immediately.

The ACB was also told to transparently communicate ACB’s stance to the cricketing community, including the ICC, the ACC, Member Countries/Cricket Boards, and the Afghanistan Public.

The decision by the Afghanistan Cricket Board is made with a focus on national priorities, aligned with the ACB's core values and principles.

It also highlighted the necessity for every player to maintain the ACB's principles and prioritize the country's interests above their personal ones.