Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 13
The rapidly-deteriorating relationship between the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and ProSportify has taken a toll on Season 5 of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL). The league will not be held this year.
WFI and the league’s rights-holders ProSportify have been involved in a war of words ever since plans to hold the Zee Kushti Dangal were unveiled by WFI in September. Originally planned to help states where wrestling has a minuscule presence, the launch of the new ‘league’ irked ProSportify, who took WFI to court for breach of contract.
In reply, WFI shot off a letter asking the league owners to announce their plans for Season 5, with the rider that the league would only be held by December as after that the wrestlers would be busy preparing for the Olympics qualifiers, which start in February.
Matters escalated when WFI sought details of the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) certificates for all concerned — including wrestlers, coaches and referees — after a majority of them complained that they had not been provided TDS details in the last four years.
ProSportify denied any wrongdoing on the TDS issue, and have said that they would not be able to hold PWL this year. “They claim that their franchises and sponsors are reluctant to join hands after getting to know that a parallel league is being started, and so they will not be able to organise the league this year,” a source said.
“As far as I know of the understanding, they can call off the league under one condition only, and that too if all the wrestlers refuse to take part in it. So this claim is strange. It will be interesting to see how WFI reacts to this claim,” he added.
Kartikeya Sharma, the founder and promoter of ProSportify, was unavailable for comments. However, it is understood that the company has furnished a few certificates with WFI. WFI is yet to reply to them in this matter but is resigned to the idea of not holding PWL this year.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2XcJPm3
via Today’s News Headlines
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