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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 21, 2016
WICB responds to latest call for its dissolution
IN RESPONSE to increasing pressure for the West Indies Cricket Board to dissolve and adopt a more progressive structure, the board has issued a statement defending its position and outlining that in its current structure it is beginning to effect change that has already begun to yield the desired results. Just this week, several former West Indies greats, including Garry Sobers, Viv Richards, Wes Hall and Andy Roberts have called upon the WICB to dissolve the board, in line with the CARICOM cricket review panel’s recommendation, and appoint an interim committee as part of the structural reforms that would enable the region’s cricket to “develop and flourish”. Among those recommendations is that a 23-man oversight committee be appointed to oversee the operations of the board. But the WICB has shot back saying it is against adding another layer to the existing body. “The WICB has, over the last decade, commissioned several reports whose results have largely been implemented,” it said in its statement. “The one recommendation that has not been favoured by the current or the previous board is the adding of another layer to the existing body. That has been the bane of contention in recent times with a few groups calling for the dissolution of the board.” The WICB goes on to defend its existing model and its plan to get West Indies back to the pinnacle of world cricket. That includes getting limited resources in order and spending where it is most needed. “Restructuring in today’s sporting world simply means choosing the best model for the sport at the time. This may best be defined by the resultant effect of an economic impact
The WICB directors model which clearly states that revenue-sharing is vital for all stakeholders. In an ongoing effort, the WICB, in its financials, for the year ending September 30, 2015, reported a surplus (US$3.5M) which resulted in the deficit being reduced to just under US$2M,” it said. Key to the plan to return the West Indies to international relevance was the implementation of its franchise system that it expected to begin to make an impact by transforming amateur players into full professionals. “In 2014, the WICB rolled out its franchise system, which sought to “professionalise the game and revolutionise how players are engaged,” the statement said. “This system added 90 professional players which play first-class cricket in the 50-overs and 4-Day format in addition to a partner for the Twenty20 – the Caribbean Premier League. Those leagues have shown tremendous potential from all involved. The opportunities for the next generation of players are to be discovered from this ongoing series of programmes.”
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday April 21, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 2009 (2) Deccan Chargers Today’s Quiz: (1) How many matches were scheduled in last season’s IPL? (2) How many games are scheduled in this season’s IPL? Answers in tomorrow’s issue
According to the WICB under the current model 15 men and 11 women are on retainer contracts. There are also 90 players on first-class retainers. The board has also implemented a regional women’s tournament. There are also three main competitions in the domestic markets, including the Super50 competition, the 4-Day Professional Cricket League and the Caribbean Premier League – where players earn from a minimum of US$5 000 to a maximum of US$160 000. Meantime, the WICB said it realises the role it has to play in the constantly changing environment in the business of cricket and just recently, at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March set a team, led by Independent Director Don Wehby to reassess all the
reports and to make recommendations to make the organisation more efficient. The Board will also host its annual retreat in the early part of the summer with players, technical team, player representatives, management staff and directors to chart the way forward. The primary focus for this year’s retreat, it said, will be to find workable solutions with regard to re-engagement of players, and how they fit into the existing high performance programme and to determine the most affordable remuneration packages. The Board said it is committed to looking back at all the previous reports with a view to see which of the recommendations are suitable at this time, putting in place a firm and/or individual with the expertise to review the
NOTABLE DATES TONY `Tiger’ Marshall was in the twilight of his career when he took on Mexican Carlos Bojorquez on April 21, 2003. The fight was held at the Yakama Legends Casino in Washington, USA. The 32-year-old Marshall suffered his 13th defeat after Borjorquez, two years his opponent’s junior, knocked Marshall down twice in the third round. The visits to the canvas forced referee Mike Fisher to halt the contest and hand the Mexican victory via technical knockout. Marshall next tackled `Ferocious’ Fernando Vargas, a former world super welterweight champion in December of the same year. He also lost that bout when, at the end of the seventh round, the ring doctor advised that the contest be halted. Marshall had two more fights (one victory) before retiring from competitive boxing. Born in Guyana, Marshall turned pro in April 1991. He returned home in 1995 to spar with Anthony `The Pearl’ Andrews, who was preparing for a world title fight with Argentine Jorge Castro. The October-born orthodox boxer made two unsuccessful challenges for world titles. The first occurred in November 1994 when `The Tiger’ tackled Argentine Julio Cesar Vasquez for the World Boxing Association (WBA) version of the crown. After 12 rounds Vasquez was adjudged the winner via unanimous decision. Marshall’s second attempt ended in similar manner. The Guyanese travelled to Madrid, Spain in July 2000 to do battle with World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Javier Castillejo. Marshall’s career lasted 14 years and produced 37 victories, 13 defeats and 6 draws.
recommendations and manage the implementation and meet with its stakeholders to effect the changes. The winning of three world titles is something the WICB believes is an accomplishment that has come as part of the high performance programme implemented just over two years ago, and drives home the point for the furtherance of the organisation. “That there are small groups clamouring for the board’s dissolution is reason to ask … what more could a region want?” “The acceptance of an average of 90 per cent of all the commissioned reports received which have been implemented minus adding another layer of bureaucracy cannot justify calling for the board to be dissolved,” the WICB said. “Instead, the small groups should consider, among other things, promises made by Governments to contribute to the growth of cricket by hosting matches, international
series, continuing to facilitate development which aids in the growth of sport, creating a more enabling environment for movement around the region, revitalising cricket in the schools across the region, as well as assisting in the setting up of territorial academies.” The WICB said it has been living up to its end of the bargain and has called upon the naysayers and the stakeholders to have faith in what is being done. “The global sports industry is going through constant change and so are all the sporting disciplines. One thing that is sure, though, is that organisations are moving towards being more efficient in their structure to be able to ease decision-making and to create the most effective model for business,” it said. “The Board, so far, has lived up to its promises, and while that is being done, let’s trust the process.” (Sportsmax.com)
FIFA says was slow to act on Qatar labour rights (REUTERS) - FIFA was late to raise concerns about the treatment of migrant labourers on World Cup stadiums in Qatar and tournament organisers should do more to improve working conditions, an official from world football’s governing body said yesterday. FIFA did not raise concerns about the abuse of labourers with the Qatar 2022 organising committee until last May - five years after the hosting rights had been secured, said Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. He added that prior to 2015 FIFA did not consider the construction of stadiums its responsibility. “When it comes to human rights policy ... we started, in connection with Qatar and its bidding process for 2022, late, yes,” Addiechi told reporters and trade union members at a human rights conference in Doha. “As soon as we acknowledged that an organisation like FIFA should be involved in addressing possible violations of human rights in stadiums, we did (contact Qatar),” he said. Qatari officials said they were working to resolve issues raised over working conditions and that they needed time to fix problems in the labour system. Two weeks after Amnes-
ty International reported on ongoing abuses in Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup, Addiechi said FIFA would not use the threat of removing hosting rights in order to push for reform. He said FIFA wanted to work with organisers to improve conditions for foreign workers hired by sub-contractors on tournament sites. “We would like to see the efforts that are being made to implement welfare standards for migrant workers, that this trickle down to the lowest part of the supply chain,” he said. SQUALID CONDITIONS Last week, John Ruggie, a former UN adviser on human rights, published a report urging FIFA to be more transparent and use its negotiating leverage to ensure countries bidding for the World Cup protect the rights of people who build stadiums. The recommendations came after Amnesty International described abuses, including construction workers from Nepal and India being charged recruitment fees and housed in squalid conditions. FIFA’s newly-elected president Gianni Infantino will visit Qatar today to meet with officials. He is currently in Russia as part of a trip to the next two hosts of the World Cup.