After Deal: WICB to Avoid Future Disputes

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced on Thursday that the sponsorship money spat with the players' association had been settled and hinted that the deal included the "established principle of team sponsorship being shared between the players and the WICB."

The board did not release financial details of the settlement but promised to put measures in place to avoid future last-minute disputes over the distribution of sponsorship money.

Acting CEO Roger Brathwaite said he was relieved the matter was settled and promised the WICB would take steps to "have a comprehensive approach to compensation including sponsorship that it hoped would eliminate negotiations such as this if a new sponsor came on board just before a tour."

There have been conflicting reports about the value of the LNM Group sponsorship deal and the crux of the dispute between the WIPA and the WICB with one report saying the deal was in the range of US$175,000 and another suggesting it was closer to US$90,000.

Jamaican writer Tony Becca cited sources as saying the players were asking for the entire US$175,000 pot while the WICB wanted a 50-50 split after $40,000 was discounted to pay for the pre-World Cup camp in Antigua. Meanwhile, Barbados columnist Tony Cozier, who has his ears close to the WICB ground, said the deal was worth between $80,000 and $90,000 and the players were bargaining for "a majority" of the pot. Cozier did not say what percentage that majority was.

A joint statement from the WICB and WIPA said the LNM Group would award incentives based on performance. The World Cup sponsors have set up a structure for paying the incentives for proceeding to different stages of the competition and, ultimately, winning the World Cup as originally proposed.

WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine, who handled the negotiations, was pleased with the deal. "The team is satisfied with the agreement and fully committed to fulfilling the obligations to the new sponsor...We regret any inconvenience that the LNM Group may have experienced as a result of this negotiation and we would like to thank them for their support. Indeed, WIPA looks forward to a long association between this company and the team," he said.