– Tony Cozier says the WICB often seen to be promoting one scrap or another, now finds itself like legendary boxing promoter Don King, smack in the middle of a heavyweight clash between
Digicel and the Stanford 20/20 organisation
Unconsciously, but consistently and under whatever dispensation, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has become as adept at fight promotion as Don King.
It was responsible for the lengthy bout a few years back between Cable & Wireless, its former sponsor, and Digicel, its successor, two foreign telecommunications companies on which it relied for much of its finance.
Other scraps have followed, mostly involving itself and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), all of which went to the judges who ruled against it.
It has also engaged in a couple of sparring sessions with some former star players, the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), prominent umpires and certain television commentators. It has even beaten up on itself over some nonsense about who paid, or did not pay, for renovations to the president’s office.
Now it finds itself in the middle of yet another fierce contest between two formidable heavyweights.
In one corner is the same Digicel that eventually won its earlier fight with Cable & Wireless, in the other, its latest benefactor, the Antigua-based Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford.
A barrage of punches and counter-punches has been thrown. There has been a lot of bobbing and weaving and some fancy footwork but, unless one or the other concedes or they agree to call it a draw, it goes to the judges at the London Court of International Arbitration on October 3 for the decision.
Whichever way they decide, the consequent damage to the WICB, especially, but not only, financially, has the potential to be crushing for an organisation that is just beginning to come out of the red. Already legal costs are known to be steep, and rising.
Only the repeated assertion of both warring parties that they have the interest of West Indies cricket at heart and, as such, that proceedings against the WICB into which they have heavily invested would be counterproductive is likely to prevent consequent law suits.
As the official sponsor of the West Indies team, Digicel’s contract, extended this year to 2012, is worth US$20 million. In the two years since he initiated the Stanford 20/20 tournaments, Stanford has pumped an estimated US$80 million into West Indies cricket.
Yet future relationships between them and the WICB must be decidedly awkward as a result of the controversy. They will wonder, as we all do, how the WICB so frequently gets itself into such situations.
At the heart of the dispute is Digicel’s claim that, under its sponsorship agreement with the WICB, it is entitled to sponsorship and entitlement rights to WICB sanctioned matches between the Stanford Superstars and England, at the Stanford Cricket Ground, over the next five years for US$20 million each time, the largest payout for a single sporting match anywhere.
The WICB had already recognised the Stanford 20/20 as its official regional domestic tournament. With the additional endorsement of the England and Wales Cricket Board (WICB) and the necessary approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Superstars match was launched with flash and fanfare at Lord’s, cricket’s traditional home, in June.
Each board is to receive US$3.5 million annually from the pot. The players on the winning team collect $1 million each, the remainder to be split between the reserves and the management staff.
There has been extensive planning and promotion of the showdown, scheduled for November 1. England have picked their squad, the Superstars are mid-way through a preparatory camp in Antigua, a match between the respective domestic 20/20 champions, Middlesex and Trinidad and Tobago, has been added to the mix.
There is a global advertising campaign that extended to, of all places, a ground perimeter board at England’s football match against Croatia in Zagreb earlier this month.
For the moment, the event is on hold after the bilateral dispute resolution process between Digicel and the WICB initially failed to resolve the issue and Digicel filed its injunction with the High Court in London to await the October 3 judgement of the Court of International Arbitration.
In the meantime, Digicel and Stanford have been slugging away at each other while the WICB wait silently and anxiously for the outcome.
The arbitrators have to decide between the opposing contentions.
Digicel notes that, according to its contract with the WICB, any team that “represents, purports to represent or may reasonably be perceived as representing the West Indies” falls within its sponsorship agreement.
It claims that the Stanford Superstars team is comprised of West Indies players and “must therefore reasonably be seen to be a team representing the West Indies – and not one solely representing the interests of a private individual.”
Not so at all, counter the WICB and Stanford. They point out that the Superstars were picked by a selection panel and have a coach, an assistant coach and a support staff different and distinct from the West Indies team.
“We entered into an agreement with the West Indies Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board with the clear understanding that we have an agreement to play this match with the Stanford 20/20 (organisation) having the sole rights to sell the marketing, branding, TV, etc. worldwide,” Stanford said. “There were no other restrictions placed on us.”
Each side has offered compromises but none has been mutually acceptable.
Digicel’s three points were that no telecoms company would be involved in the event (there was the red rag of a rumoured Cable & Wireless’ connection), that the Stanford organisation pay for their legal costs and that the Superstars team wear Digicel branded West Indies kits in the big match against England.
Stanford agreed to the first two conditions, adding in a few branding rights for free (14 ground perimeter boards, branding on the bowlers’ run ups, ads on the big screen and in the series programme).
Predictably, he wouldn’t budge on the kits issue, stating that Digicel wanted that concession at no extra cost.
There is where it stands, except for talk that would please Don King for any title fight.
“Throughout this process, numerous threats have been made against Digicel relating to a damaging media and PR campaign,” came the charge from one side. “By deliberately and unfairly attacking Digicel in the media through the release of a misleading press statement, Digicel is entitled to question the existence of a genuine willingness to resolve the matter amicably and through respectful dialogue.”
“Stanford 20/20 will not be bullied in this way and will respond appropriately to such behaviour under legal advice,” the other side declared.
And it’s unlikely to get any less volatile in the coming weeks. It’s an all too familiar, and harmful, scenario for West Indies cricket.
