Money Quarrel Hits WI U-19 Tournament

Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) president, Jackie Hendriks, last night said his executive would be moving to "rectify" allowance-related problems that have caused extreme disquiet among managers, coaches and players involved in the West Indies under-19 tournament, which started here last Thursday.

"We are making contact with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and we will try to rectify the problem as soon as we get word from them," Hendriks told the Observer last night. This followed word yesterday that officials of the Caribbean teams were extremely disturbed on being told by the JCA's CEO, Brian Breese, last Friday that stipends (allowances) to managers, coaches and players would be cut by 100 per cent from last year.

The Barbadians are said to be least troubled by the situation since their national association have provided stipends for their delegation. The other Caribbean teams are hosts, Jamaica, Guyana, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago.

A source told the Observer that Breese initially told team officials that managers and coaches would receive US$400 for the four-week tournament, down from US$800 last year, while players would receive US$50, down from US$100.

Following strong protests, Breese reportedly promised to review the matter. He suggested that team officials and players accept his initial offer as a kind of downpayment while the rest could be paid later.

The source said the managers and coaches objected and declined to accept the money on the basis that all should be paid immediately. Some team officials are also said to be contending that the figure should be pushed up to US$1,200 per month for managers and coaches and US$150 for players.

They are said to be particularly agitated since WICB president, Rev Wes Hall, promised to "look into the matter" when told of their "low" allowances shortly after he took over as president last year.

In addition they are disturbed that others such as youth selectors assigned to follow the tournament as well as liaison officers attached to the teams are receiving "generous" allowances compared to the sums for team officials and players.

But Hendriks appeared to suggest last night that the situation was more of a misunderstanding than anything else.

"The fact is that we have had no advice from the West Indies Board that there was any fixed amount that should be paid (to managers, coaches and players). We have now being advised of the situation by the managers and coaches and we are now making efforts to rectify the situation ...

"We have to find out from the West Indies Board if there is a fixed amount and if so what that is. But this is a weekend and there is not much that can be done on a weekend ...," he said.

He explained that the JCA in hosting and organising the competition was working with a fixed budget as dictated by the regional board.

"The West Indies Board has a figure with which we have to work and all the expenses have to come from that," Hendriks said. Breese, who was out of Kingston for much of yesterday, could not be reached for a comment last night.

The problem of remuneration for cricket in the Caribbean is becoming increasingly thorny. In the first class Busta Cup season for example, senior players get only a few hundred US dollars per game and juniors get far less.

Analysts agree that there is no easy solution because of the very amateur state of the game in the Caribbean and heavy losses sustained by the regional board on much of its activities. Hall announced earlier this year that the WICB had lost US$15 million over the last three years.

The absence of sponsors for some tournaments, including the current under-19 competition, has worsened the situation.

Critics also blame the WICB for incompetence, pointing to the ill-advised investments in risky, high tech investments -- which made big news last year -- which cost the board hundreds of thousands of US dollars in loss. The poorly invested money was drawn from funds meant to develop youth cricket.

One coach told the Observer last night that the continued shortage of remuneration will have serious consequences.

"What is going to happen is that we are going to lose our better people in cricket," he said. "They can't expect us to just continue like this," he added.

** SOURCE: Jamaica Observer.