Rousseau: Digicel Contract Not Good
Former West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Pat Rousseau has expressed disappointment with the current financial state of the Board, as well as the contract with sponsors Digicel.
"I must say I am disappointed. I was disappointed particularly at the financial condition of the Board. I don?t think enough has been done to correct it," Rousseau said.
"I spent a fair amount of time analysing the Digicel contract and like the majority around I don?t think it?s a good contract, because for very little more money we have given up the rights to the world when the predecessor sponsor (Cable & Wireless) only had the rights for West Indies home series. And there are other aspects of it I am not impressed with.
"I have made a written analysis of it and I will publish it eventually. But I am not impressed."
Digicel, an Irish telecommunications company, entered a sponsorship package with the WICB since October 1, 2004, reportedly worth US$20 million.
They replaced another telecommunications giant, Cable & Wireless, a British company which sponsored West Indies for home series only for the previous 18 years.
Jamaican Rousseau, who was WICB president from 1996 to 2001, charged that the current marketing committee had "done a poor job."
"Secondly I am not impressed with the work that has been done marketing the Board and the team," Rousseau said.
"Everybody makes the excuse that we haven;t been playing well, but having had 18 years of marketing the game, firstly with Franz Botek, who was tremendous and then subsequently as chairman of marketing, I don't think a good job has been done.
"I think there is a lot more sponsorship available in the West Indies and I don't think the present marketing committee has not done a very good job.
"Actually it has done a poor job."
The WICB has put a committee in place to address restructuring and financial problems, which include a US$20 million deficit and oversized staff.
* Republished with permission from the Trinidad Guardian newspaper.