Chandika Hathurusingha Clarifies His Position Amid Allegations

Recently, Chandika Hathurusingha was dismissed from his position as head coach of the Bangladesh cricket team. Following his departure from Bangladesh, Hathurusingha has issued an official statement addressing the allegations surrounding his dismissal.

Here is Hathurusingha’s statement:

"I am writing this letter to address the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) allegations, which question my integrity and professionalism, citing the mistreatment of a player during the 2023 World Cup and taking excessive leave without permission. I cannot leave this inconsistent statement unchallenged without a response. I believe it is necessary to provide an explanation. It is essential to clarify the events surrounding these allegations and present my side of the story.

Firstly, the alleged incident took place in the dugout or dressing room during a World Cup match, which is always under surveillance. There are 40 to 50 cameras recording every moment of the match. If something had occurred, I was not given the opportunity to speak directly with the accuser or any witnesses.

Furthermore, if the incident was so serious, it is surprising that the player did not immediately report it to the team manager or any authority. If such a complaint was made, why wasn’t I questioned at the time, or why wasn’t my side of the story sought back then? This raises the question of why someone would suddenly bring this up on YouTube months later.

Regarding the issue of taking leave, I want to clarify that every time I took personal leave, it was with the permission of either the CEO or the Chairman of Cricket Operations. The BCB never expressed dissatisfaction about my leave requests. Every time I asked for leave, it was granted by the BCB, and I never took leave without their approval.

When the new board members alleged that I had taken excessive leave, they did not account for public holidays like Eid or Fridays. They also failed to acknowledge the times I worked through public holidays. As far as I know, under Bangladesh's labor laws, I am entitled to compensatory leave for working on Fridays. As a BCB employee, I was entitled to Fridays off, and half-days on Thursdays.

It is also important to note that during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), it is a common practice for foreign coaches to take leave. This was not an exception in my case; it has been the norm for foreign coaches before my tenure as well. However, the leave taken during the BPL was not considered, and it was outside my contractual leave entitlement.

These allegations seem premeditated to me. On the first day the new president took charge, he publicly expressed his desire to remove the head coach and even mentioned the BCB’s financial considerations. I would also like to point out that I received the show-cause notice just four hours before a new coach was appointed, despite the notice stating that I had 48 hours to prove my innocence. The sequence of events seriously calls into question the purpose of such disciplinary action.

In this situation, I was advised to leave Bangladesh citing security concerns. The way these allegations were presented, the swift appointment of a new head coach, and the failure to follow due process all raise serious concerns about the new management’s intentions and their treatment of BCB employees.

I am committed to preserving my dignity and will fully cooperate with any investigation into this matter. In the end, the truth will prevail, and I will be able to make a positive contribution to the game I love. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Chandika Hathurusingha."