RAMNARINE
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):
DINANATH RAMNARINE has chided West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Ken Gordon for not showing enough commitment to resolving the players' issues plaguing the regional game.
The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) president and CEO was speaking following the WICB's decision to exclude all-rounder Dwayne Bravo from the eight players to be issued with retainer contracts, because of his personal endorse-ment contract with Cable and Wireless.
"The president has demonstrated that he just does not have a clue, by some of the decisions taken, to take this thing forward," Ramnarine told CNC 3 Television Sports. "(I'm) sorry to be that harsh but that is the harsh reality and I think we are going to go further down."
STATE OF CONFUSION
Ramnarine said Gordon had assumed too many roles and, as a result, the WICB was in a state of confusion.
He also accused the board of not respecting the agreement on players' endorsement contracts reached by the International Cricket Council and the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations earlier this year.
"The president of the board, who is chairman of the Cricket World Cup, president of the board, he's acting CEO," Ramnarine pointed out.
"A number of people who are working within the board are just resigning from the board for whatever reason."
He continued: "Things are being done in a very ad hoc unprofessional manner and there is absolutely no respect for these agreements. It is a very unfortunate situation but it is very unprofessional and amateurish."
PERSONAL ENDORSEMENTS
Ramnarine emphasised that under the ICC/FICA ruling, players were free to sign personal endorsement contracts with any company.
"Every single player as it is right now, can sign with whoever they want to.
"They could sign with Cable and Wireless, they could sign with bmobile, they could sign with AT&T. It is clear and it is explicit," the former West Indies Test leg-spinner said.
The WICB announced last Saturday that captain Brian Lara, along with Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards and Denesh Ramdin would be issued retainer contracts.
The board also indicated that it would have been "inappropriate" for Bravo to be offered a contract in view of his existing personal contract which the player "has entered into with the principal competitor of Digicel, WICB's major sponsor."
SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS
An official WIPA release on Wednesday said the players' union would "have to take such steps as to protect the rights and interests of its members as we deem necessary."
"The decisions taken by the WICB with regard to Dwayne Bravo and Brian Lara have significant implications for these players and, by extension, other members of WIPA," the WIPA release added.
