Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 1: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the president of the Pakistan Cricket Board and a political leader holding interior ministry portfolio, is learnt to have handed over the Asia Cup trophy and the winners’ medals to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cricket board as per India’s demand.
The ACC has expressed regrets over the Asia Cup trophy handing over fiasco, but Naqvi personally has not issued any formal apology for his alleged trophy stealing” act.
Official sources said the ACC has expressed regrets for the controversy stating that such a situation could have been avoided when two representatives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confronted the chairman at a virtual AGM following the controversy.
Mr Naqvi has landed himself in a precarious situation because of the ‘trophy stealing’ act at the end of the Asia Cup 2025 final. With the Indian team yet to be handed over the trophy by Naqvi, the BCCI is pushing for his impeachment, as per sources.
The call for his removal stems from a series of alleged breaches of conduct and protocol, which BCCI members argue have severely damaged the reputation of cricket administration, both for the Asian body and the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Asia Cup trophy, as has been learned, is now with the UAE cricket board. It isn’t yet confirmed on how and when the trophy would be handed over to the victorious Indian team.
Sources said the BCCI was raising primary points claiming that Naqvi’s actions directly led to the abuse of office and a disregard for sporting standards.
Naqvi has been accused of Violation of the Code of Responsibilities and Ceremonial Protocols as he refused to hand over the Asia Cup trophy to the winning Indian team. This move violated established ceremonial protocols and his fundamental duties as the ACC Chief to honour the winners, leading to embarrassment.
His actions also suggest a Conflict of Interest and Breaches of Fair Conduct. The ‘trophy stealing act’ stemmed from personal or political resentment, constituting a conflict of interest that breaches the spirit of fair conduct required of a continental cricket head. The fact that the trophy and medals were reportedly taken to his hotel room in Dubai after he walked out of the presentation has been labelled as an act of petulance in the cricketing spectrum.
Naqvi’s act also suggested mixing of politics in sport by letting national sentiment interfere with his role as an impartial head of the regional governing body. In the process, Naqvi’s conduct has damaged the reputation of both the ACC and the ICC, setting a dangerous precedent for future sporting events.
During a virtual ACC meeting on Tuesday, BCCI representatives Rajeev Shukla and Ashish Shelar confronted Naqvi directly. Sources confirmed that the BCCI officials categorically insisted that the trophy belonged to the legitimate winners, India, and was not the property of any individual.
Furthermore, the BCCI also asked Naqvi to formally congratulate the unbeaten Indian side, but he chose not to. The BCCI has made it clear that they intend to escalate the issue to the ICC, with the matter set to be raised at the upcoming ICC meeting in November.
As per reports, Naqvi softened his tone at the ACC meeting but maintained that if India want the trophy and medals, their captain should collect them from the ACC office in Dubai. India rejected the condition from Naqvi, arguing there was no such requirement on the night of the final and demanded a protocol handover governed by the ACC rules, not ad-hoc diktats. The BCCI’s message is clear – apology accepted, but hand over the trophy as per protocols.
The BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has made the cricket body’s stand on the issue clear. “We have decided not to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the senior leaders of Pakistan. That was a conscious decision.”
“This does not give him the right to take the trophy and the medals with him. It is extremely unfortunate and unsportsmanlike. We hope the trophy medals will be returned to India as soon as possible,” he said. Mr Naqvi, however, remained firm and refused to return the trophy, adding that the Indian captain should come to Dubai to collect it.
Ceremonial protocols are not window-dressing; they are the shared grammar of sport. By conditioning the handover and treating it as his personal property, Naqvi risks recasting a routine protocol as a political power play. India’s response, centring on the ACC’s institutional ownership and process, is an attempt to pull back the situation to rule-book diplomacy.
Sources said as the logjam over handing over the trophy and winners’ medals continued, diplomatic back-channel negotiations are on to bring the trophy to India. Naqvi had shown no willingness to accept the Indian board’s requests to keep the trophy at the ACC office in Dubai from where the trophy and the medals could be shipped to India.