57-Year-Old 男 National High-ranking Officials Scandal Over 女's Sexual Slapping... Exposing "Inadequate Physical Contact"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Italian Cricket Federation (FCRI) has been caught up in the worst scandal even on its first ever T20 World Cup participation. The organization is on the verge of collapse, with the federation's board members resigning one after another due to allegations of sexual assault by a high-ranking official.

British media 'BBC' reported on the 24th (Korea time) that "Pravat Eknerigoda (57), the coordinator of the Italian women's national cricket team, is under criminal investigation for sexually assaulting a national player."

According to local reports, the victim filed a complaint with the Roman police in March last year. During training, he revealed that there was inappropriate physical contact in the process of massaging the knee injury. The victim was reportedly unable to report immediately because he was afraid of losing his position on the national team at the time.

The 'BBC' said, "Roman prosecutors completed their investigation in November 2025. Eknerigoda was questioned by police the following month, he said. "The authorities are currently reviewing whether there is enough evidence to go to trial. Eknerigoda's lawyer denies all the allegations and claims there are impure intentions behind the complaint and witnesses to back up his claims, he said.

The controversy surrounding the Italian Cricket Federation is already spreading. According to the BBC, Eknerigoda still made an appearance in cricket using her status as the husband of Maria Lorena Haspas, president of the federation, despite being suspended from her official duties in November last year. In particular, it was confirmed that he traveled to India during the Men's T20 World Cup, wore an official AD card, entered the stadium, and attended an official event at the Italian consulate.

It was found that the federation and president Haspas tolerated his attendance at the official event, even though they were aware of the seriousness of the issue even before the World Cup. As a result, several board members resigned over the incident, and the future of Haspas, who took office in February 2025, is also in jeopardy.

"We are aware that the Federal Prosecutor's Office's process is ongoing and will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities," the Italian Cricket Federation said in a statement to the BBC, adding that it was acting on the principles of fairness, transparency and protection of registered members. But doubts are still growing for the federation, with Eknerigoda being listed as the women's cricket coordinator on the federation's website until Monday.

The Italian national team drew global attention with impressive performances, including defeating Nepal and threatening England in the group stage of the T20 World Cup. However, the scandal has damaged the hard-earned reputation.

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*This content was translated by AI.