Italian Cricket Rocked by Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Senior Official

Rome. The Italian cricket team, which recently gained attention for its encouraging debut in the T20 World Cup, is now embroiled in a serious controversy. A crisis has emerged in Italian cricket after a senior official of the Federazione Cricket Italiana (FCI), Italy's cricket governing body, was accused of sexually abusing a player from the national women's team.

The individual facing the sexual misconduct allegations is 57-year-old Prabath Ekaneligoda, who served as the coordinator for Italy's women's cricket team. According to the victimized player, during a training session in Rome last March, Ekaneligoda inappropriately touched her under the pretext of giving her a massage for a knee injury.

Initially keeping the matter secret for fear of being dropped from the team, the player later filed a complaint with the police. Prosecutors in Rome concluded their investigation into the matter in November 2025, and a decision on whether to take the case to court is still pending.

The controversy intensified due to the close relationship between Ekaneligoda and the Federation's President, Maria Lorena Haze Paz. He is President Haze Paz's partner. Even while suspended from his post due to the serious allegations, he participated with the official Italian team in the recently concluded World Cup and traveled to India.

He was seen alongside players and coaches at a reception hosted at the Italian Consulate General in Kolkata. The fact that he was allowed to travel with the team despite the federation officials and the President having prior knowledge of such serious allegations has raised significant questions about the transparency of cricket administration.

Following the surfacing of this incident and the apparent governance issues within the federation, several members of the Italian Cricket Board have resigned. This development also puts President Haze Paz's position in jeopardy.

On the other hand, Ekaneligoda's lawyer has claimed that all these allegations are false and that there are other vested interests behind them. He stated that he also has witnesses in his favor.

This incident has proven to be a major setback for Italian cricket, which recently captured global attention by defeating Nepal in Mumbai and posing a stiff challenge to strong teams like England in the World Cup. Senior cricket officials have expressed concern that this dispute will cause significant damage to the future and image of cricket in Italy.