Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 22, 2012 Sports
Dear Editor,
By his own words in this resignation letter, Clive Lloyd has now advised all and sundry that “he was appointed as a SPECIAL ADVISOR ON SPORTS TO THE PRESIDENT OF GUYANA” which appointment seems to have immediately followed the meeting between President Jagdeo, WICB President Julian Hunte and Minister of Sports Frank Anthony in August 2011. Then towards the end of 2011, Lloyd is advising us that “he had been asked by the GOG to come home and HEAD UP THE IMC as a result of the deep seated problems plaguing the GCB and the ruling of the CJ”.
Based on the above revelations from Lloyd himself, these are 2 separate and distinct appointments with the IMC head appointment being for 6 months duration and the Special Advisor on Sports position being a more permanent appointment. Lloyd further stated that “the issues facing the GCB he will not go into, however, his love for the game and love for his country meant that he did not hesitate to answer the call”. Very noble and honorable words indeed!! However, the taxpayers of this country need some level of disclosure and accountability from Mr. Lloyd and the GOG in order to correctly measure his love for the game and his country on these appointments, failing which speculation will be rife as there are many unanswered questions.
· Is Lloyd working pro bono for the GOG as Special Advisor on Sports and/or as Head of the IMC on cricket?
· If not, what is his level of remuneration for both appointments?
· Is the IMC position part of his substantive position as Special Advisor on Sports to the President or is it a separate contract?
· When did each contract commence and when will they finish?
· What are the deliverables in each contract/appointment?
· When will he take up the IMC head position for football as that discipline is in serious turmoil? Or is the GOG afraid of FIFA and losing votes?
Mr. Lloyd went on to say that “I am very concerned not just about the state of cricket in my country but the state of West Indian cricket as a whole – the lack of accountability and consultation and limited discussion about the stagnant state of our Cricket”.
Was Lloyd’s appointment as a Director of the WICB a paid position? I am reliably advised that it is not. The costs related to his attendance at meetings are borne by the WICB so he does not receive a salary or a stipend from the WICB for his work as a Director of that board. So obviously, it is a no-brainer for Lloyd to make a choice between his Directorship at the WICB or his paid positions with the Guyanese taxpayers’ money.
If Lloyd is so concerned about the state of West Indian cricket, why did he resign as a Director of the WICB after serving for decades? Why he is only now concerned, when he is on the firing line, after being part of the administration that designed the present structure?
Before we make this conclusion, we should try to analyze the timing and reason for this resignation from the WICB at this time. Mr. Lloyd’s appointment as Head of the IMC commenced sometime before Christmas 2011 which coincided with the locks being placed on the Offices of the GCB by the Ministry of Sports. The WICB had written the GCB on Dec 30th 2011 stating very clearly inter alia the following:
“That the GCB is the duly recognized entity responsible for the management of cricket in Guyana and is a shareholder of the West Indies Cricket Board;
That the WICB does not accept the interference of the Government of Guyana in the affairs of the GCB”.
WICB had also written to the Honorable Minister of Sports on the said date basically outlining the same details along with accepting the IMC in an advisory capacity to the GCB. This was the exact same position that was outlined to President Jagdeo in August 2011 at his meeting with the WICB where Lloyd was supposed to be representing the WICB at that time. He seemed to have been playing a dual role at that time as he came to Guyana under the pretext of representing the WICB in its discussions with the President and then seemed to have been negotiating with the President for his subsequent position of Special Advisor on Sports to the President. He then left the country until he was supposedly summoned for his first job. I guess the only person with good intentions at that meeting was Dr. Hunte.
That was almost 2 months ago. I am aware that there was a lot of back and forth between Lloyd and the Directors and officials of the WICB culminating with the next meeting of the WICB & the GOG on the 10th & 11th January 2012 when an agreement was brokered by Caricom which largely had adopted the position of the WICB towards the role of the IMC. We all know that the GOG has continued to display its bad faith in all negotiations and has since refused to sign this agreement thus prolonging the confusion and mayhem that has been reigning for the last 3 years with cricket administration. Out of the prolonged frustration for the GCB, they decided to write the WICB officially complaining of the overt and covert actions of Mr. Lloyd in his public dalliances with the staff of the GCB. The GCB also pointed out the conflict of interest position of Mr. Lloyd with his relationships with the WICB & the ICC and requested that his appointment as a WICB Director be rescinded.
It should be noted that Mr. Lloyd lives at the Guyana Pegasus whilst working here in Guyana and it is anyone’s guess as to who foots the bill in this regard.
In the meantime, the ICC issued a release in early February 2012 condemning the action of the GOG in the appointment of the IMC to replace the GCB and basically followed its rules regarding governmental interference. We note that Lloyd responded to a question by the media regarding his relationship with the ICC where his response was vehemently in the negative:
“Asked if his decision would affect his position of Cricket Development Officer (CDO) with the International Cricket Council (ICC), Lloyd without hesitation said no, as he will continue to serve the ICC in that capacity and any other position they deemed him fit for.”
This is an extract from the ICC website surrounding the IMC:
Guyana and the West Indies Cricket Board
The ICC Board reiterates the principle of non-interference in the sport by Governments and were concerned to learn of the developments in Guyana where the Government has dissolved the Guyana Cricket Board and replaced it with an Interim Management Committee. In condemning this government intervention in the strongest possible terms, the ICC Board reaffirmed the principle of non-interference and that the only legitimate cricketing authority is that recognized by the West Indies Cricket Board.
We are aware that the WICB has a Directors meeting planned for this week and it is widely anticipated that the controversy surrounding Clive Lloyd would have been dealt with and in all probability he would have been removed as a Director on this Board. Lloyd has obviously preempted the WICB with his resignation and has attempted to save some face doing so rather than being sacked from the position. It is really perplexing to then read Lloyd’s response to the reporter’s question regarding his future relationship with the ICC. He is embroiling himself deeper and deeper into a morass that even his purported wily exploits displayed on the cricket field and his personal life cannot help him to unravel.
Lloyd sits as the Chairman of the Cricket Committee of the ICC and is a paid employee/official of that entity and, as such, is subject to its rules and regulations. Surely, the ICC is going to follow the actions and advices of its member board.
Come on Mr. Lloyd you are too old a “super cat” to be skinned by these little kittens.
Yours in Sports,
Intikhab Sankar
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