Wrestling federation, league promoter part ways over money

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to part ways with ProSportify, the promoter and organiser of the one-season old Pro Wrestling League (PWL). The federation has served a ‘Notice of Termination’ on ProSportify for delay in releasing the salaries of the top Indian and international grapplers. 

The WFI, in the strongly-worded notice, has cited multiple reasons for disassociating itself from PWL, which was marred by several organisational issues in its maiden edition in December. ProSportify, a company with diverse interests in sports and franchise-based leagues in the country, has defaulted on the salaries of Haryana Hammers and Uttar Pradesh Warriors wrestlers for over four months now. Besides, it also failed to pay WFI the ‘royalty’ for lending its name to the league. According to the WFI, Kartikeya Sharma, the PWL promoter, had been issued several reminders to make the payments and explain the poor organisational and venue management issues during the first season.  It was only after WFI president and BJP parliamentarian Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh got involved that ProSportify released the salaries of some international wrestlers. But a few others are still waiting for their payments.

In a meeting between PWL chairman GS Mander and Sharan Singh last month, the WFI decided to issue a 90-day notice to ProSportify to explain its conduct. The WFI listed several reasons such as default on players’ salaries, non-payment of royalty to the federation, delay in payments to vendors, default on Rs 2 crore prize-money to winners Revanta Mumbai Garuda, flawed technical rules and poor venue management for wanting to terminate the contract.

“….In view of the above, we hereby notify that the contract dated 20.5.2015, entered between ProSportify and WFI, shall stand terminated on the expiry of 90 days of this notice, which has been issued on April 16, 2016. You are hereby called upon to immediately reply to the notice,” said the termination letter, which was accessed by The Tribune.   

According to the WFI officials, there can’t be any patch-up with ProSportify and the league would now be conducted with new associates and partners.

“WFI is following a professional approach by giving ProSportify time to respond to the notice. ProSportify has been trying to fix up a meeting with senior WFI officials, but we don’t want to hold any talks with them after such a horrible experience. The chapter is closed from our end. We just want them to honour their commitment and make payments to the wrestlers,” a top WFI official said. 

Efforts to reach Sharma did not elicit any response as he did not answer phone calls or reply to text messages.

There were a total of 24 international players in PWL. As per the players’ contracts, a 40 percent of the total salary was to be paid to them before the start of the tournament. But, according to the WFI officials, the wrestlers received this 40 per cent two-three months after the league got over.