Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Pure Partisan Power in Cricket

Taken from another blog:
http://caribbeancricket.com/archivedtopic/976783;jsessionid=1776FD347DF102BBE741A1B67EFFBDF5

WIPA behind cricket dispute in Guyana

The ongoing dispute over the control and administration of Guyana's cricket took a new twist when sources confirmed that Dinanath Ramnarine, the Chief Executive Officer of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) was actively behind the Bissoondyal faction of the Demerara Cricket Board. Sources in Trinidad confirmed that Ramnarine boasted about having the politicians in Guyana "eating out of his hands". He said his plan to remove the current Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) was hatched since the GCB obtained an injunction last year in August/ September restraining WIPA from representing the Guyana Players.

Ramnarine said at that time he discussed with "his soldier" Ramnaresh Sarwan, the Guyana Test Cricketer, the plan to remove the current Board of the GCB and have the legal proceedings already filed against him withdrawn by that new Board installed by him. Bissoondyal was the identified candidate because in the words of Ramnarine "I could control him easily and he will listen to Sars".

Additionally, Ramnarine further said that he has arranged with Sars to have junior Minister of Housing Irfan Ali campaign for his chosen candidate. He further said his level of influence extended to President Bharrat Jagdeo who he claims "consults him on all cricketing matters". Ramnarine said "I could pick up the phone now and tell Jagdeo what to do about cricket."

Ramnarine boasts were made at a time when rumors abound in cricketing circles in Guyana that he is trying to put persons favourable to him on the GCB and to remove persons who are against WIPA. Political interference is alleged in the Guyana media; a situation which could get Guyana banned from international cricket.

A source in the Guyana Cricket Team confirmed that Ramnarine had indeed said he would bring down the GCB and take over Guyana cricket. When asked Ramnarine flippantly said that he had removed "CEO's and Presidents of the WICB [West Indies Cricket Board]; how hard would it be to remove Guyana Cricket officials?". The Trinidadian source also confirmed that Ramnarine was very derogatory of Guyanese generally labelling them and "backwards and primitive" and President Jagdeo as a man who "did not grasp what was fully at stake with Guyana Cricket ... he just does not have the intellect to appreciate what is at stake; I had to show him whats the real value in cricket".

This is not the first time Ramnarine is on record as being derogatory to Guyanese, the local media had carried verbatim statements from Ramnarine during the Caribbean Twenty/ 20 last year where he referred to Guyanese cricketers as "hungry-belly" and "stupid"; when they signed the participation contracts for the Airtel Champions League 2010.

Ramnarine had made similar boasts when he removed persons unfavourable to him from the Trinidad Cricket Board and installed a Board favourable to himself at the last elections in Trinidad.

6 comments:

  1. Please note that this article is not only defamatory but consist of malicious lies and fabrication of information. Interestingly the article quotes a source and no name as to who wrote this article.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds more like housewives gossiping than a news story. Can any of this information even be verified? Cricket fans are passionate about their cricket, I understand, but you can't just make things up out of thin air and publish it!Cricket is a civilised game, keep it civilised.

    ReplyDelete
  3. its only malicious when it doesnt suit one's agenda who are you to lecture on what is malicious or not

    ReplyDelete
  4. In this day and age no one can comfortable put their names to any piece thats what we have been reduced to in this democracy of ours

    ReplyDelete
  5. Seems a little made up to me, and real melodramatic, this writer probably going to say something next about how Dinanath using a special technology to change the documents in the GCB so he could win them. Real fiction in this piece. Look out next for when WIPA causes a rainstorm that will destroy the roof of GCB headquarters.... utter nonsense being written in this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  6. WIPA is the only group willing to stand up to the money-hungry WICB Board of Directors. The players all over the region are grateful for the representation of WIPA. If anything, WIPA is bringing together the interests of the players and the boards for the betterment of cricket in the long-term.

    ReplyDelete