By Iana Seales
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) yesterday secured an interim injunction against the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), its executive president, Dinanath Ramnarine and the West Indies Player management Company Limited (WIPMACOL) which restrains the parties named from interfering in a contract which exists between the local body and the Board of Cricket Control in India.
GCB approached Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang to protect the agreement it has signed for the Guyanese cricketers to appear in the Champion’s League Twenty20 in South Africa next month, and the order was made. The injunction bars the parties named in the action from doing any act which has the tendency of causing or inducing the GCB to dishonour or act in breach of the agreement for Guyana to participate in the upcoming tournament.
GCB President, Chetram Singh and Secretary, Anand Sanasie filed affidavits in support of the application yesterday which was made through the board’s attorneys: Fenton Ramsahoye Q.C and Sanjeev Datadin. Though reports of the court action had surfaced several days ago the local board gave no indication of a likely move until yesterday.
Prior to the court move the GCB had not responded to requests by WIPA which was seeking to engage in negotiations on behalf of its members, and in the application yesterday the GCB made it clear that demands by WIPA, more specifically its president, would not be met.
Ramnarine wrote the GCB following Guyana’s win in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament; outlining among other things how the GCB’s share of the prize monies would be spent. Ramnarine is said to have requested 75 percent of the prize money without including whether the allocation covers auxiliary staff including coaches and trainers. For its part, WIPMACOL was seeking to engage the GCB on matters pertaining to players’ image rights and issues surrounding intellectual property rights of the local cricketers.
The GCB having signed an agreement with the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), subsidiary of the Board of Cricket Control in India concluded that the requests being made could not be met. On the issue of image rights, GCB lawyers argued in court yesterday that this falls under the purview of the CLT20, noting that WIPMACOL could not interfere with that agreement. WIPMACOL is said to have contended that the GCB was exploiting the cricketer’s rights by signing an agreement without prior, critical negotiations being completed.
GCB also frowned upon Ramnarine’s request for WIPA’s share of the participation fee and failed to offer the organization a response. Instead, the GCB moved to the court saying it could not meet the request, and that it did not want WIPA and the others named in the action to interfere with existing contractual agreements.
Guyana stands to gain US$500,000 as an entry fee to the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) tournament, but the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in a recent statement, said that it is the WICB and not the GCB which will be paid the Participation Fee. However, prize monies earned by the Guyana team at the Champions League tournament will be paid directly to the GCB by CLT20.
“This Participation Fee is for the WICB to nominate a team from the West Indies to participate in the Airtel Champions League, “the WICB stated in the release.
“The WICB incurred costs of just over US$2 million in staging the recently concluded Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament”, the WICB added.
“Having borne such a significant cost to stage the Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament – from which the winner was nominated to participate in the Airtel Champions League – the WICB has decided to retain one third of the US$500,000 to help in offsetting costs for hosting the Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament,” the release stated.
GCB will therefore received the remaining two thirds as a result of the Guyana team emerging winner of the Caribbean Twenty20 2010 Tournament and being nominated to represent the West Indies in the Airtel Champions League. According to the statement it will be for the GCB and the Guyana Twenty20 team to decide how the two thirds of the Participation Fee will be divided.
