FICA Considers Greater Control Of Cricket’s Revenue – 02/03/2006 Increasing instances of alleged financial irregularities within some Test and Associate members, and instances of late or non payment of players’ remuneration, has resulted in the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA) in reconsidering its approach to player generated revenues and payment to players. As a direct result of the increase in frequency of such issues, FICA and its affiliated player associations are rethinking their future dealings with the ICC and those governing bodies that have a history of non and late payment of player remuneration. Under discussion is taking greater control of the commercial revenues flows that stem from the use of player attributes, together with new payment structures and penalties for where player remuneration go unpaid. It is FICA’s responsibility to provide potential frameworks for its member Player Associations around the world that will minimise the possibility of non or late payment of player remuneration by the ICC or other its Member Countries. FICA has recently been involved in discussions with ICC in regard to several instances of non and late payments by ICC, including: • Match fees to World XI players (Super Series) • Licensing fees to World XI players (Super Series) • Mobile phone royalties (Super Series) • Royalties from computer games dating back to February 2005 These items of remuneration had been outstanding for a period ranging from 6 weeks to nearly 12 months. Some still remain unpaid. Tim May, chief executive of FICA, said: ” In attempting to address these issues with ICC, I have been surprised and disappointed with ICC’s lack of urgency, lack of understanding and conflicting understandings of the issues and the level of priority that they have given to these issues. ” Whilst understanding that some taxation rulings may have delayed payment of some of the Super Series payments, it is inexcusable that no explanation was provided to players so as to explain why player match fees and license fees were at least 6 weeks overdue” . It took the intervention of FICA to trigger such communication and eventual full payment of Super Series monies. May concluded: ” The ICC’s performance in these instances has been a poor relations exercise with the players and they have failed to live up to the ‘best practice’ motto they espouse. ” It has eroded a significant amount of confidence from within the player group as to the ability of the game’s governors to respect and honour its obligations to its international cricketers” .
