Legendary Greg Chappell facing financial struggle; friends launch fundraising campaign
Adelaide (PTI): Cricket legend Greg Chappell has revealed going through a financial struggle with his friends pitching in to set up an online fundraising platform to "enhance his last few years", according to a report.
The 75-year-old former Australia captain, who also had a controversial stint as the head coach of the Indian team from 2005-2007, admitted that he is doing fine but is certainly not living a life of luxury as a result of his cricketing career.
"I'm not on the bones of my a**e," Chappell told News Corp.
"I certainly don't want it to sound like we're in desperate straits, because we're not but we're not living in luxury either. I think most people assume that, because we played cricket, that we are all living in the lap of luxury. While I'm certainly not crying poor, we're not reaping in the benefits that today's players are," he said.
According to the report, Chappell "reluctantly" agreed to a GoFundMe page being set up for him, along with a testimonial lunch held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) last week hosted by Eddie McGuire and attended by cricket greats, including brothers Ian and Trevor.
Chappell further said he is not the only player from his era who experienced financial difficulties, even though the landscape of professional cricket has come a long way since his retirement.
"It is just my friends who realised that we didn't get a lot and just to make sure that Judy and I were comfortable in our retirement," Chappell said.
"To be fair, there are others of our era who are in more dire circumstances that could do with the help and I don't think the game has done enough for players of that era. Particularly in relation to the comparison with today's era."
"I believe the players that set the scene for what's happening today, should probably be recognised for the role they played in getting the game to where it is today," Chappell added.
Pacer Dennis Lillee, wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, and Chappell were part of an iconic trio that defected to Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket in the late 1970s.
But unlike Lillee and Marsh, Chappell didn't receive a fundraising testimonial at the end of his career to help set him up after retiring from cricket.
A report in news.com.au quotes Chappell's friends saying that he is doing it tougher than an Australian sporting legend ever should.
"Greg is a very proud man. He's doing it tougher than what he says," Chappell's friend Peter Maloney said.
The Australian great also runs the Chappell Foundation, which raises funds for homelessness charities.
But the foundation makes sure every cent is distributed each year and Chappell doesn't keep any money for himself.
"The Chappell Foundation is run by Darshak Mehta and 100 per cent of the money that is raised gets distributed," Maloney said.
"They distribute it annually so at the end of each year, they don't leave any money and they're starting afresh."
"If you put your name to a foundation you're entitled to take some money out of it. But Greg hasn't taken a cent out of it, even though he could have.
"I guess that was the irony that he was the face of it and turning up to every function and he's raising all this money while he didn't have a hell of a lot himself.
"Put it this way, we will probably end up raising about $250,000 out of it, and it will significantly enhance his last few years," Maloney added.
Chappell scored 24 centuries across 87 Tests during the 1970s and 80s and led Australia 48 times. He retired from Tests in January 1984 ass the highest run-getter (7110) in Australian Test history, surpassing Sir Donald Bradman's record of 6996 runs.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
