WICB moves to levy 20% of contract fees from T20 stars

[MenInG]

West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been denied a no-objection certificate by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), which means he will not be able to compete in the upcoming Ram Slam, a Twenty20 league organised by Cricket South Africa.

This move has come after the WICB decided on levying a 20% contract fee on any Caribbean player wishing to play in a T20 tournament held outside the country. The all-rounder, who signed a two-year contract with the South African side Cape Cobras, was informed of the board's decision by chief executive officer Michael Muirhead.

Muirhead confirmed that the decision was made by the board of directors and that the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the full member boards had been informed of their stance. Pollard was informed that he would not be granted an NOC until the WICB had received an acceptance of the fee from various boards.


"The WICB will levy a charge for the granting of an NOC for West Indian cricketers seeking a release to participate in leagues around the jurisdiction of the West Indies. This will be the amount equivalent to 20% of the player fee (as defined in the player contract) that is actually paid to the relevant player", Muirhead wrote in an email as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Muirhead claimed that such a decision was taken considering a vast number of players from the country participate in various T20 leagues around the world, thereby failing to play in regional tournaments, which is actually detrimental to West Indies cricket.


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"WICB, however, having invested in developing a player's talent, is not able to realize a return on its investment. In the end it compromises the standard of the WICB international team and that team's performance internationally. The primacy of international cricket is threatened."

This move from the WICB has attracted criticism from the Federation of International Players Association (Fica) who have called the decision a "restraint of trade" and warned it could attract legal challenges. Tony Irish, the Fica chairman, has called the move unjustified considering the board had not even discussed the matter with the other boards and Pollard himself.

According to ESPNCricinfo, the Bangladesh Cricket Board is considering a 10% payment while Cricket South Africa have refused to pay the fee with no response as yet from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Australia (CA).

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/wicb-bars-...th-africa-t20-league-over-noc-charge-1590395#

 

[MenInG]

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

The following is a statement from the WICB regarding the issuing of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players.

St John’s, ANTIGUA - The influx of various domestic Twenty20 tournaments raises an interesting opportunity for a player to significantly maximize his earnings. WICB however, having invested in developing a player’s talent, is not able to realize a return on its investment if the player is not available to play in local tournaments, which would allow lesser experienced players the opportunity to face more experienced and skilled opposition, thereby improving on the standard and competitiveness of the domestic tournament.

In addition, the player is unavailable to mentor and develop younger players and to otherwise contribute to the overall growth of the game and its development infrastructure. It has become a system that disadvantages nations like the West Indies which have traditionally developed players who are particularly skilled in the shortest format of the game. In the end, it compromises the standard of the WICB’s international team and that team’s performance internationally. The primacy of international cricket is threatened (Article 32A, ICC Regulations).

The Professional Cricket League (PCL) four-day and Super50 tournaments along with being able to offer contracts to 90 additional players in the first-class category are a direct benefit of this agreement. This also includes the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the region’s domestic Twenty20 tournament.

The Board of Directors of WICB, has taken a policy decision on the issuance of NOCs, to which it has communicated its stance to all ICC Full Members’ CEOs and Presidents.

The WICB will levy a charge for the granting of an NOC for West Indian cricketers seeking a release to participate in Leagues outside the jurisdiction of the West Indies.

This will be an amount equivalent to 20 per cent of the player fee (as defined in the player contract) that is actually paid to the relevant player. All NOCs will be subject to West Indies international commitments and, in respect of centrally contracted players, official domestic cricket matches in the West Indies.

A portion of these funds derived from these release fees will also go back to the clubs and franchises/territories in recognition of the role they played in developing the player and as an incentive for them to continuously expose new cricket talent. The WICB earlier this year distributed player production fees to all the territories/franchises and clubs from which players came from. Those payments were for players’ participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 - 2015.

While we do not wish to act in restraint of trade, we must seek a balance to ensure that there is fair and adequate compensation for the investment made in the players. What WICB seeks is some compensation to recognize the investment made into players, an investment from which another Full Member is benefitting.

WICB understands that this policy decision may result in reciprocal agreements from other Full Member boards for obtaining NOCs for their players, but we view this approach as necessary to preserve the best interests of West Indies cricket at both domestic and international levels. It is our expectation too, that the accumulation of these fees will facilitate the offer of contracts to additional players.

The WICB is in the process of discussions with the various Full Members as to the other boards’ acceptance of that position. The dialogue is ongoing and we wait on official word.

In addition to India, Bangladesh has also agreed to the release fees. The practice is also used in other jurisdictions like England.

 

[Junaids]

The WICB are out of their tiny minds.

This is basically a Protection Racket.

If the players are smart, they will pay via a US bank then get the FBI to lay RICO charges against the WICB and watch the administrators join their FIFA colleagues from the Caribbean in US prisons.

 

[USofA]

Absolute ridiculousness. Not sure where these guys come off. I understand they and desperate for money, but did not thing they were this desperate.

If they can do this to a non contracted player, then what is the difference between contracted and non contracted players? I thought the whole point of not signing contracts was to have freedom to choose what they wanted to do.

 

[Navdeep Srivastava]

They did not selected pollard for upcoming series against NZ and he is also not contracted, so why WICB is acting like a stupid.

 

[Executioner]

WICB is a pathetic cricket board. I feel for their players

Why should leagues pay the WICB for borrowing their players. Its only the players who should get money

 

[Abdullah719]

Darren Sammy on Twitter seemingly threatening to sue over this. Not surprising at all.

 

[Haroon786]

If the players are not under contract to the WICB, then under what jurisdictional control can the WICB limit players from supplying their sportsmanship to any country or league they wish to play in ?

 

[Saj]

I guess it boils down to whether the players contracts state that this deduction will be taken. If it does and the players signed it then the players don't have a leg to stand on.

 

[Bewal Express]

The players are because of the exposure provided by the Windies but the fee is too high and there should be a time limit of say 3 years.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Not sure about the legality of this but it's understandable as the players have become stars due to first playing for West Indies. When they perform pathetically for their national team as they are more interested in making money in mickey mouse leagues, then a time was to come where the board would hit back.

 

[Junaids]

I guess it boils down to whether the players contracts state that this deduction will be taken. If it does and the players signed it then the players don't have a leg to stand on.

There is a deeper problem here.

The No Objection Certificate process was introduced in its current form nine years ago as a means for the BCCI to strangle the ICL at birth, by making it impossible for ICL players to play international cricket.

Shane Bond, for example, already had a letter from New Zealand Cricket authorizing him to play ICL and an ICL contract which released him for all international commitments.

But the BCCI used economic pressure on every other board to use NOC's as a means to make ICL players ineligible for international cricket. Shane Bond had his letter, but NZ Cricket later told him that because he had played cricket in a private league without an NOC, he could no longer be selected for his country.

So any cricketer with a good barrister could drive a bus through this. The problem is that WICB actually seems to get off on attacking and excluding their own players.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NOC granted for both ram slam and big bash..!!Gonna use my god given talent was blessed with understanding as well reasonings not coinciding</p>— Kieron Pollard (@KieronPollard55) <a href="https://twitter.com/KieronPollard55/status/796066080724762624">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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