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InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > Cricket World Cup 2003 > World cricket again in the throes of a major crisis 14.18 IST 26th June 2003 By IndiaExpress Bureau World cricket is again in the throes of a major crisis after players' representatives threatened the International Cricket Council (ICC) to stall future World Cup contracts. The ICC in turn blasted the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA) for its "clumsy attempts to threaten and undermine" the international game. FICA joint chief executive Tim May, angry that the ICC had rejected a player representative on the world governing body's management committee, said future negotiations over World Cup contracts will be difficult. "This shows a complete lack of respect for players around the world," May, a former Australian Test off-spinner, was quoted as saying by a newspaper of the ICC's decision not to have a player's representative in the powerful committee. ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed reacted angrily to May's comments. "Rather than issuing threats against international cricket, FICA's leadership should be taking a step back and try to understand why so many of the Boards around the world are so vehemently opposed to it," Speed said in a statement. "The reality is that despite repeated recommendations from ICC management, a majority of cricket boards around the world simply do not accept that FICA should be recognised." The latest standoff comes even as the ICC is grappling with a 50 million-dollar compensation claim from World Cup sponsors over England and New Zealand's refusal to play in Zimbabwe and Kenya and a dispute over Indian players over selling their commercial rights without permission. FICA had initially opposed the players' contracts, almost causing the ICC's seven-year marketing deal worth 550 million dollars to collapse, before players from nine of the 10 Test-playing nations -- barring India -- made significant concessions to allow the recent World Cup in Africa to go ahead. May told the Australian newspaper that FICA will oppose similar contracts for the next Champions Trophy event to be held in England in September next year. "Another battle is looming," May was quoted as saying. ICC's Speed laid the blame for the current crisis at FICA's doorstep. "The leadership of FICA should be trying to understand why so many countries are so opposed to FICA rather than making threats against international cricket," Speed said. "ICC Management has argued on many occasions during the past two years in favour of recognising FICA but, if anything, support for it has gone backwards amongst the countries since this issue was last considered in Sri Lanka last October. "FICA's stated objective is to work with local governing bodies but it is apparent that it is not doing this effectively. "FICA's leaders ... need to ask themselves why countries with FICA-affiliated player associations are blocking this move. "Why in countries where player associations exist have the player association leadership failed to show that there is a contribution that can also be made at the ICC level? "Why is it that there is so much distrust between the players and management in so many countries where there are player associations? FICA needs to understand and answer these questions." There was no immediate reaction on the standoff from India, which has been denied its share of World Cup revenue -- amounting to almost nine million dollars -- till the compensation claim is settled. in-depth coverage > Cricket World Cup 2003 > |
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