Becca Slams 'Selfish' W.I Players

Jamaican cricket pundit Tony Becca believes the West Indies cricketers preparing for the World Cup are being "selfish" in their demands for the entire US$175,000 sponsorship money from LNM Group.

"As professionals most of them, the cricketers, like other professionals, have a right to bargain and no one should question that right. According to information coming out of the West Indies Board, however, the problem is not that the players want a share of the US$175,000 sponsorship. The problem is that they want all of it, and if that is so, that is what is bad," Becca argued.

Writing in the Jamaica Gleaner, Becca said sponsorship money in the past was "divided down the middle between the Board and the players." This time around, he said the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) offered a 50-50 split with one caveat.

"The only difference was that the split would be made after the cost of the preparation camp, some US$40,000, is deducted, and even though, for a peaceful life, the Board was prepared to absorb the cost of the camp and split the money down the middle as usual, the players said no," Becca disclosed.

In fact, Becca said the playes insist they would rather go without the sponsorship than accept half of it.

"Apart from the fact that the Board must have spent some money getting the sponsorship and should at least deduct that, the players, regardless of their right to bargain, are being unreasonable - and they are being unreasonable for the simple reason that the Board needs money to keep West Indies cricket going and that some of that money must come from sponsorship," the veteran writer argued.

"The players are unreasonable also because whenever there is no sponsorship it does not affect their earnings, because when they fail to perform it does not affect their earnings and because when they win they keep every cent," he said.

He noted that if the West Indies win the World Cup tournament, the players will get to keep the entire US$1 million prize money. "The (WICB), as poor as it is, will neither take nor ask for a cent of it."

"It is at a time like this that the players need to be reminded of a few things. The players need to be reminded that as good as they are and although they are the best in the region, the West Indies board cannot spend all its money on them. As the body responsible for the development of the game, the West Indies board needs to keep back some money to keep it going - to fund, for example, coaching and competitions at the lower levels so that when these players leave the scene there will be others to take their place," Becca noted.

"In their selfish call for everything, the players should think, not only of the cost of such things like insurance and provident funds which are for their protection today and tomorrow, but also about the future of West Indies cricket and the development of the nine, 10, 11 and 12-year-olds who love the game and who, as they did, are dreaming of becoming West Indies players," he admonished.

Meanwhile, CaribbeanCricket.com understands that WICB chief executive (acting) Roger Brathwaite met for several hours with representatives of the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) to negotiate a settlement but the players have not budged much for their demands for the bulk of the sponsorship pot.

Up to late Wednesday evening, an agreement had not been brokered and the two sides were prepared to bargain again on Thursday.

The WICB has made it clear the dispute has nothing to do with the salaries/fees for the World Cup players and is strictly related to how the LNM Group sponsorship money will be shared.