Panaji: Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president Chetan Desai and secretary Vinod Phadke have stepped aside to allow the smooth functioning of Goan cricket following unavoidable Lodha Panel recommendations.The two bigwigs of Goan cricket have been forced into this move due to the Lodha Panel recommendations on cricket reforms which debar any individual who has cumulatively completed a period of nine years as an office bearer of a state association from holding a post in the association.Both Desai and Phadke have spent more than nine years at the GCA and have now allowed other officials to take charge.According to a communique to the bankers, Suraj Lotlikar has been appointed acting president while Desh Kinlekar has been named honorary secretary. Jamir Carol continues to be honorary treasurer.“In accordance with the resolution passed dated 04.01.2017 with regards to change in committee members, the following persons be and are hereby, jointly by any two, authorised to operate and close the above accounts hereafter,” the GCA wrote in a recent letter to its bankers.Any two officials from among the president, secretary and treasurer have been authorised to operate the bank account.The GCA has asked the bank to delete the old signatories – Chetan Desai and Vinod Phadke – from the bank record.“The committee of administrators (CoA) appointed by the Supreme Court has made it clear that those associations who do not follow the Lodha recommendations will face stern action. Desai and Phadke have no choice but to make way for others but that doesn’t mean they are going away.“All state associations are following this same principle; allowing others to temporarily take charge unless it is for certain that there will not be any intervention from the Supreme Court. We have been told that such an arrangement will continue till July when a final decision is expected,” said a senior official of the GCA.The GCA official said the association has not received any funding from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and without compliances, the coffers will continue to remain dry.“We informed the CoA that we do not have enough money to run Goan cricket and that annual funding has stopped too. The CoA has made it very clear that the association must abide by the Supreme Court order and submit compliance reports. We have been left with no choice,” said the official.

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