Players yet to reap benefits from Subroto Cup

NEW DELHI: With a corpus of over one crore rupees (Rs 1.67 crore as in 2006), sponsorship earnings of 25 lakh per year (2009 figures) and a host of other grants from the central government, India's premier junior & sub-junior football tournament, Subroto Cup, is in sound financial health. However, it has not resulted in any benefits trickling down to the players.
Every year, participating Indian players are charged for boarding and lodging — last year's rate was Rs 120/player/day.This despite a hefty grant to the organisers from the ministry of sports.
"Lodging arrangements for outstation teams shall be the responsibility of the organising committee. Each team shall however, reimburse to the committee the expenses on account of the board at the rate or Rs 100/- per head per day," says the prospectus of the event on its official website.
This demand is strange in the light of the sports ministry letter in 2009 (a copy of which is with TOI) which makes it clear that the government agreed to give Rs 4.5 lakh towards the boarding, lodging and transportation of teams.
".... that this Ministry agrees, in principle, sanction of a grant not exceeding Rs 5,00,000/- (Rupees Five lakh only) to the Hon. Secretary General, Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society, New Delhi, towards the above-mentioned championship. Out of the above grant, reimbursement of an amount of Rs 4,50,000 or actual expenditure, whichever is less will be made on account of expenditure towards boarding, lodging and transportation of sportspersons in Delhi which will be calculated @ 300/- per sportsperson per day," the letter states.
There are two accounts linked to the event: 'Subroto Mukherjee Cup Tournament' (SMCT) and 'Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society' (SMSES). The Indian Air Force, which plays a major role in organizing the tournament, has another account — 'Indian Air Force Central Welfare Fund' (IAFCWF) — which holds the corpus of Subroto Cup. The corpus was formed in 2001 with Rs 36 lakh from sponsorship money and is not reflected in the balance sheets of either SMCT or SMSES. The interest earned on the corpus is shown as 'grant' by IAFCWF in SMCT tournament account.
Sources claim that SMSES is defunct because it has failed to submit accounts and Annual General Meeting report to the registrar of societies for the last 15 years. No record is said to be existing at the registrar of societies NCT Delhi at the Parliament Street.
When contacted, the organisers did not reply to any of these issues.