Tim May hits out at ICC, BCCI for culture of back-room deals and intimidation
Tim May’s most crucial area of concern was how India was misusing the power at its behest © Getty Images
Sydney: Jun 9, 2013
After quitting as head of cricket’s international players’ union for eight years, Tim May lashed out at the culture of back-room deals and intimidation in the ways of International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) functioning.
Commenting on the controversy surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL), May felt that the drama could provoke administrative changes which may in turn lead to a different kind of Indian leadership. However, he says, ” What has happened to our principles? Everything isn’t about making more money. You don’t want to prostitute yourself just to make more money. But when your commercial interest suffocates your principles and the pillars you built your sport on, you’re in trouble.”
“You would like to think there are people who are strong within that board [ICC] who would say, ‘hey let’s not wait until there is an absolute crisis.’ I am not sure that point has yet quite been reached but all the signs are that it will be if we continue the slide,” May said, as reported by independent.co.uk
“You can muddle along but you will deteriorate. I think you’re going to run out of thumbs to plug all the leaks. Out of the countries that play international cricket, let’s not paint a rosy picture here: Zimbabwe essentially broke, Sri Lankan cricket essentially broke, Bangladesh essentially broke or thereabouts, Pakistan, I don’t think they’re doing very well financially, the West Indies cricket board broke.”
“We have got a model where there is going to be a moment in time where a number of Test-playing countries are actually going to fall over. We can’t keep muddling on, the financial model needs to change and has to change, he added.
May’s most crucial area of concern was how India was misusing the power at its behest. May was particularly vexed with ICC’s refusal to implement the Woolf report, which was commissioned from UK’s former Lord Chief Justice. This report had recommended sweeping changes in the game.
“The Woolf Report highlighted that the ICC is basically a boys club with the Test countries making decisions. The associate countries are discriminated against and even within that boys club there is discrimination among them where basically the powerful get their way and enforce voting by threats, intimidation, under-the-table deals. Typically the currency is fixtures against the larger nations,” he said.
However, the chief executive of ICC, Dave Richardson had this to say.
“It’s his [May’s] perception. Any organisation has its challenges and stuff that goes on behind closed doors. It would be silly to think it doesn’t happen a ICC level.”
Lord Woolf was damning of the way the ICC runs the game, virtually to protect the self-interest of the full members. He called for changes, an internal audit and less conflict of interest.
Richardson further added: “There were 60-odd recommendations. We have to acknowledge that there is a gulf between what the Indian board think is good governance and what the New Zealand board might think. It took Australia three years to change. An Indian corporate has a slightly different view of what constitutes a conflict of interest than a corporate in Reading.”
But May countered, “The other nine countries who sit on the executive committee have to take responsibility because after all they can say, ‘No, we’re not going to put up with this nonsense any more. We’re not going to continue to give into threats and intimidation and feed the power of the schoolyard bully’.”
(With inputs from AFP)