C&W Opens New Can of Worms
Sun, Mar 13, '05
Cable & Wireless has opened a new can of worms with the assertion that the US$20 million/5-year sponsorship package was never offered by the WICB.
"Cable and Wireless did, however, turn down a US$30 million/5-year proposal. The last offer C&W left on the table with the WICB on March 31, 2004 was a US$20m/5 year proposal for the Home Series only...The WICB instead, awarded all the entitlements, the Home Series, away games and youth programs to Digicel for only US$20m/5 years," the phone company said in a statement.
The latest C&W position differs from a statement by WICB president Teddy Griffith that the former team sponsor was given "first option rights and take up the sponsorship on the same terms as the third party [Digicel] offer."
FULL TEXT OF LATEST C&W STATEMENT:
After reading the half truths, misstatements and blatant lies contained in Digicel?s statement unilaterally sabotaging the work of the CARICOM Prime Ministers, Cable and Wireless can no longer sit back and allow its integrity to be attacked, and West Indies cricket to be threatened.
Through our actions, we can unequivocally say we are ?proud sponsors of the game?. We struggle however to understand how Digicel can claim to be ?proud sponsors of the West Indies Cricket Team?, when three weeks ago a ?leaked? memo to the press written by a Digicel executive, maliciously attacked the integrity of some of the game?s best players, who just happen to have personal endorsement contracts with Cable and Wireless. Digicel has clearly embarked on a crusade to follow up the ?leaked? memo with pressure on the WICB to drop these players from the team.
Is Digicel ?proud? that they have thrown West Indies Cricket into crisis by publicly humiliating the players, pressuring the board to abandon its obligation to field the best players for the West Indies Team, and calling our 20- year commitment to the game in question? They shouldn?t be proud at all.
Taking each of the Digicel accusations for the record:
* Cable & Wireless never refused to match the Digicel US$20 million/5-year sponsorship package with the WICB. It was never offered.
* Cable and Wireless did, however, turn down a US$30million / 5-year proposal. The last offer C&W left on the table with the WICB on March 31, 2004 was a US $20m/5year proposal for the Home Series only, allowing the WICB to broaden their sponsorship base and seek additional sponsorship dollars for the away games and youth development programs. The WICB instead, awarded all the entitlements, the Home Series, away games and youth programs to Digicel for only US$20m/5 year.
A person might fairly ask, why did the WICB give away so much to Digicel?
Cable and Wireless decided to expand its history of personal sponsorship contracts with important West Indies players as a direct result of its commitment to become the lead regional sponsor of World Cup 2007?not as a strategy to ambush Digicel. In fact, Cable & Wireless had an existing contract with Brian Lara since 2003. Our additional 6 player agreements were made in April and May in line with signing our World Cup Sponsorship on May 1, 2004. Therefore, all of our personal endorsement contracts were signed at least 2 months prior to the WICB/Digicel deal which was executed in July.
Our World Cup Sponsorship was publicly announced on May 1st and our contracts were publicly announced on May 7th and on May 21st, the WICB was further made aware of our contracts and Teddy Griffith was given a copy of a contract (minus player name and financials). Digicel and the WICB thereby entered into their agreements, in full knowledge of the Cable & Wireless endorsements as their deal wasn?t executed until July. If we were trying to do ambush marketing, we surely would not have provided this information publicly or personally.
The seven players, including Brian Lara, chose to sign personal endorsement contracts with Cable and Wireless, and not with Digicel. This despite Digicel?s stated attempts to ?buy? Mr. Lara away from Cable & Wireless with an ?enhanced individual sponsorship contract.?
As for Digicel?s estimate of the amount of money in the Cable & Wireless personal endorsement contracts...that?s their guess. The actual amount of the contracts has never been released and is indeed the private information of the individual parties, as well it should be.
Frankly, it is outrageous that Digicel can, with a straight face, claim to support West Indies Cricket out of one side of its mouth, while working to destroy it out of the other.
How else can you explain Digicel?s acceptance of the binding arbitration last December that reaffirmed the legality of the player endorsement contracts, and then now calls it ambush marketing.
How else can you explain agreeing to work with Prime Minister Mitchell and CARICOM to seek a solution that can work for everyone and then refusing to even dialogue or negotiate.
Len de Barros Chief Operation Officer along with the entire Cable & Wireless senior executive team, ?call upon the people of the Caribbean to join us in demanding that the WICB fulfill its mandate to field the best, most capable West Indies team by reinstating the seven Cable & Wireless sponsored players to eligibility, and that Digicel stop its capricious behavior and its attempts to buy and bully its way into getting what it wants.?
Cable & Wireless, without caveat, reaffirms its commitment to work in the best interest of the fans and players of cricket in the West Indies, as it has for almost 20 years, and to help us all show the world the very special nature of our game and our islands as we host World Cup 2007.