Published 12:40 IST, November 6th 2019
AITA Sec Gen slams Rohan Bopanna on his post after Bhupathi's removal
AITA Secretary-General Chatterjee has hit back at Bopanna saying that he was 'exceeding his brief' after latter questioned Bhupati's removal as captain
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Soon after ace tennis player Rohan Bopanna commented on the controversy surrounding former Indian Davis Cup Captain Mahesh Bhupathi, All India Tennis Association (AITA) Secretary-General Hironmoy Chatterjee on Wednesday hit back at Bopanna saying that he was 'exceeding his brief'. This comes after Bopanna said that removal of Bhupathi as the non-playing captain so close to the tournament was 'shocking' since no players were even consulted before the association took the decision. Earlier in the day, Mahesh Bhupati also broke his silence on the association's decision to replace him in a Twitter post by saying that all he knows that he received a call from Mr. Chaterjee mentioning that he was being replaced by Rohit Rajpal as the non-playing captain.
Chatterjee: "Bopanna is exceeding his brief"
While speaking to ANI, AITA Secretary-general Chatterjee said, "He (Rohan Bopanna) is exceeding his brief. The players have no say in the administrative matters. It is the committee and the federation that decides who gets selected and when they get selected." Chatterjee further added that interference from the players will not be accepted by the association. "We will not accept any interference from the players in our administrative matters. Since we do not interfere in players' game by telling them how to play, why are they trying to advise us? Why are we supposed to consult them before selection? We have different responsibilities," Chatterjee said.
Rohan Bopanna's Tweet
AITA went ahead and named Rohit Rajpal new captain
Former tennis ace and India's non-playing Davis Cup captain Mahesh Bhupathi refused to travel to Pakistan for the Davis Cup tie which was to be played in Islamabad on November 29-30, and will now be played on a neutral venue. Incidentally, Bopanna along with five others had pulled out the Pakistan tour, citing safety concerns. With captain Bhupathi also pulling out for the same reason, AITA went ahead and named Rohit Rajpal as the new captain for the tie at its Executive Committee on Monday in Chandigarh. Bhupathi's term as the non-playing captain had already got over in December 2018 and he was given an extension to lead the side in the tie against Italy in February this year in Kolkata. Bopanna's contention is that the All India Tennis Association (AITA) changed the captain before ITF made a final decision on a neutral venue.
Updated 13:37 IST, November 6th 2019