Mismanagement of Caribbean Sport

(Trinidad Guardian)

Sport management is a generally neglected and under-rated sector in sports in this part of the world. It has seldom been professional or competent, but of late with the injection of, and the effect that money has been having on sportsmen and women, it has seemed that incompetence is either growing, or being more exposed as lawyers and negotiators come into the picture.

The latest two events in the cricket fraternity demonstrate this spectacularly.

Imran Jan is one of the more successful players of the T&T team, which defied all odds to win the President?s Cup in Barbados. Looking on from T&T, we thought he had a brilliant series, filling the breach whenever he was needed to do so.

Yet, when the T&T selectors announced a squad of 31 people to train for T&T for the 2005 regional first class season, Jan was not among the 31 players named. Everybody was surprised at the omission.

On inquiry, it was revealed that he was not considered because he is alleged to have refused to open the batting in the series, the position for which he had been chosen.

Without receiving a report from the manager or the coach, without asking Jan to explain what took place, without a disciplinary committee hearing, Jan was tried, convicted and sentenced.

By whom, we may well ask, since there had been no inquiry or trial.

The fact is that Jan batted in the middle order with success and was the rock on which the last Guyanese hope of victory crashed. He says that he and the coach had discussed the matter.

He told coach Williams that he was not comfortable opening and would be more useful in the middle. It seems that Williams agreed with him, as he was allowed to bat in the middle and played very well. This underlines his point that he would do better for the team in the middle.

When nobody was willing to accept the captaincy in 2002, when he was still not certain of his place on the team, Jan took the responsibility and set the example for his team.

After the series, without being aware that he was being investigated, without being told he was charged with anything, or called for an explanation of his alleged misdeed in the President?s Cup, he learned of his sentence when his name did not appear among the published 31 people asked to prepare for T&T in the 2005 Carib Cup.

Will T&T?s cricket now be embroiled in litigation?

But TTCB may merely be duplicating the ineptitude and intransigence of the WICB. The cricket controllers of the regional game made one of their most recent faux pas when they ?appointed? Bennett King as coach, only for King to disdainfully deny that he was the coach, because no offer or contract had been made and accepted before the WICB made the announcement.

Gus Logie was hastily moved up from assistant to coach but with no assistant as King would have had, on his acceptance of the job.

Despite Logie?s success in starting an upturn in performance and in leading West Indies to winning a trophy for the first time since 1979, his contract was terminated nine months before it was due to end and, wait for it, King was announced as the new coach, yes, the same fellow who had scorned the WICB?s offer earlier

.

He is now the coach and he is bringing with him, his own choice as assistant, another Aussie.

Regardless of King?s quality as a coach, the handling of his original ?appointment? and his contemptuous rejection of it, Logie?s appointment and summary dismissal, and King?s latest offer and acceptance, show a lack of professionalism, organisation and pride in the WICB.

That can only lead to a lack of respect for the WICB and, by extension, West Indies cricket.

As if that were not enough, it now turns out that the WICB has two further massive problems that are of its own making.

Nearly eight months after the Third Test against England in Barbados, players have not received their fees and neither have they been paid for the series in England nor the Champions Trophy for which, not only did they win, but there was considerable bonus and sponsors? money due them.

While that is so, WICB called a group of 25 players to attend a three-week camp prior to selecting the team that will represent the West Indies in the BV triangular ODI series in Australia.

For several reasons, which are obvious to all but the WICB, the contracts needed some adjustments and the fact that 25 players were called to spend three weeks at camp without any remuneration must have been a concern to all but the WICB.

Now, as the WIPA indicates, these arrangements are not acceptable since, among other things, some leading players are contracted to Cable & Wireless and can not be contracted to a competitor, Digicel, the new sponsor, unless or until those contracts are re-negotiated.

The WICB, nevertheless, issues an ultimatum. They are not inclined to reason. They insist. All players must have signed by the deadline or the board would select others.

Already, one tour to Australia by the West Indies cricket team has been put on hold because the Windies are no longer considered a drawing card. Does the WICB believe the Australians would accept a third-string West Indies team for this series?

That emphasises the state of management of cricket in T&T and even in the wider Caribbean. Usually, managers, presidents, secretaries of clubs and of leagues are there because of their popularity or their former prowess as players.

Hardly ever are they in positions because they have the qualification or experience for the job. Once in positions of ?power? they hold on for dear life.

And they can, as the TTCB and WICB have remarkable constitutions that make it impossible for any hostile challenge to succeed.

The incumbents vote for themselves when the ?democratic? opportunity comes around.