Player associations and the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies will be the main topics for discussion at the all-important International Cricket Council's Cricket Committee - Management (CC-M) meeting at the Cricket Club of India, in Mumbai, on September 18-19.
ICC General Manager for Corporate Affairs Brendan McClements told rediff.com on Wednesday morning the meeting will discuss the issue of various player associations.
 | Also Read | | |
|
"If there are certain player associations which are recognised by their country boards, then the ICC will have to work out the logistics on how it [the ICC] will deal with the associations," McClements said.
He explained that while Australia, South Africa and England have players' associations, countries like India, Pakistan and Bangaldesh have no such formal arrangement.
Recognition of the Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA), which is the voice of most players on the international stage, will be top on the agenda, though the ICC believes it is just another player association.
According to last year's FICA Player Survey, only 20 per cent of the Test players polled that the ICC is doing a good job of running international cricket. Ninety-eight per cent wanted player representatives formally recognised by the ICC.
On the eve of the Mumbai meeting, FICA chief executive Tim May fired a salvo, severely criticising the ICC's refusal for player representation at the CC-M.
In an interview with rediff.com, May explained the reasons for player representation on the ICC's Management Committee.
"This committee deals with cricket and commercial issues that will directly impact the players. It deals with commercial rights of players, it deals with changing playing conditions. These are matters that the players will be able to provide first hand experience and inputs into. It is proactive, efficient and respectful. The players dedicate their lives to the game, entice people to the grounds and to television screens to watch them play. They are the product.
"If you were running a business in the entertainment industry, wouldn't you seek to involve the entertainer in crucial decisions? The positive in having a proactive voice in raising issues from a player perspective are clearly evident. It would have avoided the World Cup Player Terms dispute for starters," said May.
The FICA has also threatened that it will make player contracts more difficult for future tournaments if it is not recognised.
Said May: "It is a realistic appraisal of the situation as it stands at the moment. The Player Terms that the ICC originally offered for such tournaments have little or no regard for player rights. Prior to the World Cup last year, FICA and ICC worked together to agree upon mutually acceptable terms for player participation in the World Cup 2003. The players sacrificied significant rights in these agreements, so that the game of cricket (and its Governing Bodies) would prosper This assisted the ICC in avoiding even further claims from GCC and other related parties. FICA were recognised as "Player Representative" when it suited the ICC. FICA were prepared to deal in good faith and out of respect for the game. Unfortunately, the respect does not seem to be returned by the countries that sit around the various ICC committee tables.
"As the ICC has chosen not to recognise FICA as the player representative, they, therefore, can not rely on FICA sitting down with the ICC to negotiate amicable Player Terms for future events. This will lead to each governing body trying to negotiate with its players as to agreeable Player Terms. Instead of one negotiation, the ICC has chosen to go down a path of 10 or more negotiations occurring over the breadth of the world. I suggest that this will make the player contracts a more difficult process than before."
Besides the player associations, McClements confirmed that the logistics for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies would also be discussed.
"It is important to understand that the West Indies is a conglomeration of 14 islands and there are a lot of logistic problems like currency etc to be dealt with. This meeting will outline most of the problems and offer suggestions for the same," he said.
McClements further clarified that the participation of the United States in co-hosting the World Cup will not come up for discussion as it is too far-fetched.
The other items on the agenda are the volume of cricket played, the performance of the elite panel of umpires and referees, and the legal bowling action procedure which will be under review.
ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed, who had his tenure extended until July 2005, will surely have a lot in his plate over the next two days.