WICB CEO Faces Axe
WICB chief executive Roger Brathwaite is on the verge of being fired after a tumultuous three-year tenure that coincided with some of the lowest lows in West Indies cricket.
According to well-placed sources, Brathwaite is seeking legal help to negotiate a financial payoff in exchange for his resignation, which was requested by the board. In an e-mail exchange with CaribbeanCricket.com, Brathwaite declined to confirm or deny he was on his way out the door. "I am not in a position to comment," he said.
Brathwaite, who was handpicked by former WICB president Wes Hall in controversial circumstances when Gregory Shillingford was terminated in 2002, has struggled to keep pace with new president Ken Gordon's hard-nosed business management style.
Sources say Gordon is unimpressed with Brathwaite's performance and he has maintained a file with tasks he set for the CEO that were not accomplished.
In addition, the Barbadian Brathwaite is also under pressure to explain why he never kept costs under control when it was well-known that the board was heading for a severe financial crisis.
When Gordon took office, he set up a committee to investigate WICB spending and find ways to save money. Among other things, the committee found that simple things like per diem allowances were not in line with regional corporate levels, a major indictment of Brathwaite's ability to provide leadership.
The committee also recommended cuts in travel and accommodation expenses, a re-examination of all employment contracts, an audit of human resources, a review of credit card usage on a quarterly basis and a review of all retainer contracts and leveraging of Internet and meeting costs with hotels.
"All these things were out of control under Brathwaite. He knew of the financial crisis and didn't do much to fix anything," said a source familiar with the inner workings of the WICB.
The Lucky Report was also a nasty stain on Brathwaite's stint as WICB chief executive.
Although the board disagreed with the substantive findings in that report, which examined the circumstances that led to the Digicel sponsorship contract, it admitted to major management shortcomings and exposed a WICB secretariat in complete disarray.
Brathwaite also presided over the first player strike in the history of West Indies cricket; the deterioration of the board's relationship with the players' association; the negotiation of the controversial Digicel contract; the hiring of an all-Australian coaching staff that is itself under scrutiny; and numerous instances where player salaries have not been paid on time.