Indian Players refused to sign ICC contract

Entertainment Cricket and Other Sports
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http://sports.yahoo.com/m/sk/news/reuters/20020824/reu-pakistan.html

Pakistan captain Waqar Younis, who is preparing for the triangular series involving Australia and hosts Kenya, is confident the ICC contract row will be quickly resolved.

“We’ve not even spoken about it as we have been very busy …but I’m sure that after working out for Australia, it should work out for all teams,” Waqar told reporters after the team’s practice session at the Sir Ali Muslim Sports Club on Saturday.

“I know players are not happy with certain aspects of the clause but I am sure the ICC will come up with some good decisions for all teams around the world so things should be alright in the next few days.”

A row involving several top cricketers erupted after the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced a controversial contract.

Top players, including India’s Sachin Tendulkar and captain Saurav Ganguly, have refused to sign the contract because of a clause protecting sponsors which prevents them from endorsing products of rival companies 30 days either side of ICC events such as next year’s World Cup.

MASS BOYCOTT

The stand, backed by players from other test countries, had threatened a mass boycott of the September 12-29 Champions Trophy tournament in Colombo, but that prospect receded on Thursday when Australia reached an agreement and said they planned to send a full-strength team.

England and South Africa have also indicated that they are close to ending the dispute with their players.

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News from the Grapevine is that Indian players have agreed to sign the contract. :)

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=20377419

tis confirmed…

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http://sports.yahoo.com/m/sk/news/reuters/20020830/reu-icc.html

India’s cricket board said on Friday it was resigned to its top players boycotting next month’s Champions Trophy as the International Cricket Council (ICC) prepared to try and draw a line under the controversy.

Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, told Reuters in Dubai on Friday that he could not see the players backing down over a row over sponsorship rights.

“At the moment, I don’t see any possibility of the players signing the agreement in toto as required by the ICC,” Shah said.

“Unless there is any last-minute solution to the problem – which I don’t foresee – it’s all over for us (the board) to convince the players.”

The threatened boycott surrounds a ruling by the ICC that players should not endorse products of companies competing with official tournament sponsors.

India’s players, however, several of whom have lucrative personal sponsorships, argue that the ICC had sold their image rights without consultation.

There have been fears that a similar deadlock could affect next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

MASS BOYCOTT

But the threat of a mass boycott of the Champions Trophy appeared to have disappeared on Friday, set as a deadline by the sport’s world governing body for players to sign up to play in the Sri Lanka tournament.

The Sri Lanka and West Indies boards announced their players would take part, while South Africa’s players were confident of agreeing early next week. Australia and England’s squads signed up last week after initial reservations.

The ICC executive board is due to meet in Dubai on Saturday, with the affair high on the agenda.

“We certainly hope that all the countries send their best teams (to the Champions Trophy) in the interests of cricket,” ICC president Malcolm Gray told reporters on Friday.

"It will be a shame if we can’t resolve or overcome what we feel is a (lack of proper) communication.

"We did not anticipate any problems when we made the contracts and, while this is a problem and a serious one at that, this is not the biggest crisis we have faced.

“The biggest was the corruption one which fortunately we are on top of now. But the sponsorship issue is a sort of problem we have got to overcome.”

IMPORTANT EVENT

The Champions Trophy, an event involving all the test-playing nations, is second in importance only to the World Cup.

If the Indian players refuse to back down before the September 12-29 event, India will be forced to field a second-string side.

Several of them have personal sponsorships with electronics company Samsung, while the Champions Trophy is being sponsored by rival firm LG.

Shah added: "The players want to sign the contract with some conditions which the ICC will not agree. We tried our best, but the players refused to listen to us.

“I still feel the ICC will not bow down to any condition from Indian players.”

ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said: “There will be no change. The deadline was put in place so that, when the executive board meets on Saturday, it will know the positions of all the 12 teams competing for the Champions Trophy.”

Gray added: “We are hoping that common sense will prevail and that all parties will be comfortable with the resolution. We hope we can go forward.”

ON CONDITION

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced on Friday that its players would play on condition that they be consulted in future by the ICC over possible sponsorship clashes.

They would also receive 25 percent of the WICB’s dividends for taking part as compensation.

“This agreement means that the West Indies’ full-strength team…will proceed to Sri Lanka on September 5th 2002, barring injuries,” the statement added.

The Sri Lankan board said that talks with the Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association were also successful.

Tony Irish, meanwhile, the chief executive of the South African Cricketers’ Association, told Reuters the players wanted more assurances from the ICC but added there had been “very constructive negotiations” with the South African board with “one or two relatively small issues” outstanding.

The ICC’s stance on trying to protect its event sponsors dates back to the 1996 World Cup when Pepsi ran an ‘ambush marketing’ campaign based around the tournament after its rival, Coca Cola, had signed up as an official sponsor.

Pepsi signed up a string of Indian players and used them in television advertisements under the catchphrase “Nothing official about it”. They even told their players not to approach the Coke drinks trolley during breaks in play.

I have said all along that I support the players in this dispute. However they have made their point and I feel that they should now play in this tournament and also serve notice on their board to sort out the mess or else they will not play in future tournaments. After all if they do not play in international tournaments their sponsors will not get any benefit out of them either. Also they should be playing for their country because it is because of their country that they are in this postion of fame and glory.

They have made their protest, now they should get on with the business of playng for their country and ask the board to resolve the issue quickly for them. Just my thoughts.

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Australia, Bangladesh, England, Newzeland, Pakistan, Srilanka, Windies, Zimbabwe have signed the cntracts, South Africa is on the verge of signing the contract.
So India is now on it own.
ICC will never backdown from their stand and Indians can't avoind playing the WC.
Indian players need to think about their country before thinking about their pockets.
These are the kind of sacrifices you need to make to be come a true patriotic.
They would rather receive millions of rupees from their advertisers rather than making their country proud.
Very Sad

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The ICC yesterday rejected the proposal put forward by the Indian players at their executive committee meeting held at Dubai.

The ICC did not shift from its stance over the individual contracts issue for the ICC Champions Trophy but did give the Indian players more time to think.

ICC chief Malcolm Speed said the Indian players' proposal was "not acceptable".

He added: "There were many suggestions, the BCCI President sought more time and we have granted it to them.

"Everybody fully appreciates the problem faced by the BCCI. We have been talking and will continue to talk.

"The tournament will go on one way or the other and it will be good if all the teams come.

"There is no cut-off time or deadline for India but we do expect them to sign the contract within two or three days time.

"We will not accept any changes in the contract as it will be unfair to those who have already signed the contract."

BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya said: "If need be I am ready to travel to Timbuktoo but I don't think it is necessary.

"I have nothing against Ravi Shastri, but this is an ICC contract and there is no need of a middle man."

Dalmiya also confirmed that India would not be boycotting the tournament.

He said: "In the event of the senior players not signing the contract India will send its second-best team."

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Looks like its not yet over for ICC.
South Africans are also refusing to sign.

India’s cricketers will seek further clarification on individual player endorsements before they agree to play in the ICC Champions Trophy.
The players have asked for more time to consider a ruling which has dogged the build-up to the tournament for weeks.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s players are also waiting until the eleventh hour before making a decision.

Clash with sponsors

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s governing body, is preventing players from endorsing products that clash with official ICC tournament sponsors.

It requires players to freeze their personal endorsements for the duration of their events and for 30 days either side.

No concessions for Indians
Chiefs at the ICC have stood firm on the issue, but the row has dragged on, and time is fast running out with the tournament due to start on 12 September.

Some reports from Johannesburg suggested the country’s top players may now decide against making the trip.

But the United Cricket Board of South Africa said it was confident the matter could be resolved, and that it would be able to send a full strength to the tournament.

Reluctance

The other 10 teams in the tournament have either signed the contract or are in the process of doing so, according to the ICC.

But there has been reluctance to accept the terms of the contract by players all around the world.

The ruling needs re-negotiation before future ICC-sanctioned events.

The Champions Trophy is a limited-overs event involving all the Test-playing nations and second in importance only to the World Cup.

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** Indian players may move court if left out of team **
Innnntresting !!!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=21082918

PTI TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2002 7:49:03 PM ]

LONDON: Unwilling to budge from their stand that they will not sign the ICC contract, the Indian players are said to be contemplating legal action against the game’s governing body.

If there is no solution to the stand-off between them and the cricketing authorities and if they are consequently omitted from the Indian team for the mini World Cup in Sri Lanka later this month, players may move court, team sources said.

The effort would be to seek an injunction against the ICC and stop the September 12-29 Champions Trophy, from taking place.

Since the ICC headquarters is in London, players have been advised that they have a good chance of securing a favourable verdict from the court.

A senior member of the Indian team said, even if they were to stop shy of going to the court, their sponsors would be more than willing to drag the official bodies in court to protect their interests.

“It would be absolutely impossible for us to change our stance at this stage,” said the cricketer.

The players can not understand why they were informed about the objectionable “ambush marketing” clause only in July this year, when the matter was agreed upon and signed between BCCI and ICC at least 14 months ago.

“The cricket authorities should have taken note of the fact that Sachin Tendulkar was entering into a separate television contract in July – a deal which could impinge on the television rights of the ICC events,” the cricketer said.

The senior cricketer also wondered why BCCI did not react when a rival electronics company signed up seven Indian cricketers, again putting them at odds with a major ICC sponsor.

“The BCCI had the intelligence to warn cricketers of fatigue and tiredness when they were about to tour South Africa for a commercial shoot in June – but they could as well have cautioned the cricketers their company was in direct conflict with a major ICC sponsor,” he said.

Cricket Board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, had written two letters to the team yesterday in an effort to persuade them to play in the Champions Trophy promising to sort out the sponsorship issue with the game’s apex body at a later stage.

TNN adds from Kolkata: Reacting to this proposed move by the players, board president Jagmohan Dalmiya feels the Indian players are being “provoked by their sponsors”.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the players were being provoked by their sponsors. It seems to be a deep-routed plan,” Dalmiya said adding: “I am sure the players would not have been such an obdurate bunch had they been on their own.’’ What has angered him most is the Indians’ reluctance to reply to the president’s letter sent Monday evening.

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As expected the indians are now all alone in this issue.
They started this mess and now they have to clean it.

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The Bull Headed attitude of ICC has no limits - It now asks BCCI to get rid of SAHARA as its Sponsor because one of Next World Cup Sponsors is SA Airways - Does ICC realize that Sahara is a Domestic Career and not a competitor to SA Airways at all ?

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I do think the ICC are going overboard with this issue, they shouldn't be choosing sponsors for individul players.
Why has this problem no just come up.
I know star players have always had spnosors and World Cup and other ICC events always have the opposition.
why wasn't this brought up before 99 world cup.

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alls well that ends well
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=21357475

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Looks like its over.Good job by ICC and Indian players.

India’s top players are set to play in next week’s Champions Trophy tournament after settling a contracts dispute.
The squad, currently on tour in England, had threatened to boycott the event because they were unhappy with clauses covering image rights and personal endorsements.

But a breakthrough was achieved after talks between the players and International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed

Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said: “As per our knowledge, the players and the ICC have reached agreement.”
**
Compromise **

The 12-nation tournament starts on 12 September and the Indian Board had been facing the prospect of having to send a second-string team to Sri Lanka.

Gray said he pleased an agreement had finally been reached.

He said: "The situation is that following discussions between the ICC and the Indian players there is now an agreement that is acceptable to both the ICC and the players.

“There have been compromises on both sides.”

The players were unhappy at a clause in the contracts giving the ICC rights to use their images for up to six months.

Indian fans showed their disapproval in Calcutta

They were also banned from being involved in personal endorsements from 30 days before the opening game until 30 days after the tournament concluded.

Shah said the players had now** accepted the “ambush marketing” clause for up to 16 days after the tournament and the ICC had agreed to give up the images rights. **
**
However all other teams will have to abide by the 30-day rule. **

An ICC spokesman told BBC Sport Online:** "It is only India who have had the exclusion period reduced to 16 days.

“We have made this concession because of their unique circumstances.” **

The strength of feeling among Indian fans was underlined as effigies of Speed and ICC president Malcolm Gray were burnt outside Eden Gardens in Calcutta by members of India’s Youth Congress Party earlier this week.

And former Indian captain and coach Kapil Dev accused the ICC of inflicting “mental torture” on the players.

India are currently involved in the final Test match against England at The Oval.

They battled back from a poor first day to dismiss England for 515 on Friday.

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http://sports.yahoo.com/m/sk/news/reuters/20020907/reu-iccindia20020907.html

**India’s cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya has rejected an ICC compromise deal to a sponsorship row, again raising doubts over whether their leading player would take part in next week’s Champions Trophy.

In yet another twist to a month-long wrangle, Dalmiya rejected an International Cricket Council (ICC) plan even though it has already accepted by India’s players. **

He argued on Saturday the deal could lead to the Indian board facing legal action and instead tabled a rival proposal, at the same time giving the players a Monday deadline to sign or be axed from the team.

That ultimatum raised the spectre of India fielding a second-rate side without the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly at the sport’s most prestigious one-day tournament outside the World Cup.

The long-running row has centred on India’s players refusing to sign playing contracts for the September 12-29 tournament in Sri Lanka.

They disputed a clause preventing them from endorsing products of rival companies to official sponsors 30 days either side of ICC events, arguing they had not been consulted over their existing lucrative sponsorships.

They also opposed official tournament sponsors being allowed to use their images for up to six months.

The ICC, asked to intervene by the Indian board after it failed to find a compromise, seemed to have resolved the issue once and for all on Friday after agreeing to certain amendments with Ganguly’s players. Among them, the players accepted not to endorse rival products for 16 rather than 30 days after the Champions Trophy.

But Dalmiya said on Saturday he was still worried that tournament sponsors unhappy with the changes could sue his board.

“The board will again propose to our players to sign the 30-day clause,” he said.

“I am prepared to give the players a blank cheque. Any loss they suffer will be paid by us,” he added after a meeting of the board’s decision-making working committee.

Dalmiya had earlier asked for a guarantee from the ICC that the Indian board would not have to pay the bill if it were later sued by sponsors linked to the Champions Trophy.

The ICC and the rest of the test-playing nations refused to give such a blanket guarantee, arguing the issue was theoretical and should be dealt with only if it came about.

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That dman Dalmiya! :mad:
First he obeys ICC against the Indian players and now Indian players obey ICC he now comes in the middle.

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India pick top men to end Champions Trophy row
Reuters - 9 September 2002

Sachin Tendulkar and India’s leading cricketers have been picked for the ICC Champions Trophy, finally ending a long-running sponsorship wrangle which had threatened to derail the tournament.

India’s cricket board named a full-strength squad for the event starting in Sri Lanka on Thursday after a last-ditch global teleconference with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other Test-playing nations.

The row, which centred over the conflicting rights of the official tournament sponsors and the players’ personal sponsors and which could still have repercussions for next year’s World Cup, had been threatening the prestigious one-day event since early August.

The ICC last week appeared to have solved the crisis after brokering a compromise with the India players, only for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) itself to reject it, arguing it could provoke legal action.

But isolated Indian board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya climbed down at last after the ICC’s other member countries said his board would not have to pay the bill on their own if it were later sued by sponsors unhappy with the compromise.

Dalmiya, who had been threatening to send a second-string squad to the event, told reporters the discussion had lasted an hour and 45 minutes, adding: “We are quite happy about it. A full-strength squad will represent India in the tournament.”

The initial deadlock had started when the ICC, in an attempt to protect tournament sponsors from ‘ambush marketing’ campaigns from rival companies, demanded players freeze their private sponsorships for the tournament.

The sport’s world governing body said players should not endorse rival company products for 30 days either side of the Champions Trophy. Official sponsors would also be able to use their images for up to six months.

Following player protests around the world – Australia, England and South Africa were among several teams who delayed signing their contracts – the ICC pledged to take their views into account in future sponsorship negotiations.

They also persuaded Ganguly’s players to play after cutting the 30-day stipulation after the tournament to 16 while pledging their images would not be used for six months.

ICC president Malcolm Gray said in a statement on Monday that the game’s world governing body had thrashed out the solution with its tournament sponsors and the Indian players “to find a resolution that is in the best interest of the game and the BCCI has now been able to put other issues aside to do the same.”

The wrangle took on much greater proportions in India because the game is so massive here, with leading players earning far more lucractive personal endorsements there than in the rest of the world.

Cricket’s most famous case of ‘ambush marketing’ came in the 1996 World Cup when Pespi fought back against Coca Cola – an official sponsor – by signing up a string of leading players who they then barred form Coca Cola advertising. They also flew huge air ballons with their logo on the edge of match venues.

India squad: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Vangipurappu Laxman, J.P. Yadav.

http://www-usa.cricket.org/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2002/SEP/060926_REUTERS_09SEP2002.html

Congratulations to Indian Players !!

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Now, I think the icing on the cake will be if

  1. The “first choice” Indian squad loses all its matches in this Champions Trophy (after all this row, I think it will be just what the doctor ordered). :slight_smile:
  2. And on top, to add further insult to substantial injury, the leading sponsors of Champions Trophy sue Indian Board for a cool few million US dollars, as their players breached their contract (16 day instead of 30 day) and ICC (and all member boards) refuse to contribute anything; and
  3. All the local sponsors of star players to sue the Indian players for breach of “their contract”, and BCCI files for bankruptcy.

If all three happen now, that, indeed will be a fitting tribute to all this fiasco. :k:

Not because I have something against BCCI or Indian players, but this whole issue is blown so out of proportion, that it just seems that the resolution is such an anti-climax! Koi halla gulla hona chahiyay. :slight_smile:

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Dear this threads of yours was just full of hatred.If instead of Indian it was Pakistani team you would be supporting them whole heartedly.But alas, those poor guys doesnt make enough money. And during the period when no one is playing with them ,they cannot afford to revolt.

Its not blown out of proportion. Its just that Indian players had the courage to fight it and thats the reason all the players across all countries supported them. Its only the indians who can teach lesson to ICC .Any person who understands little bit about the whole controversy will support them.

ICC has been on complete fault here and they need to be starightened. It takes gut to challenge it and Indian did it very well.Its effect will be seen in WC’03.

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Believe me, if Pakistani players had argued so long over sponsorship deals and argued to prioritize money-matters above playing for the country, the public would have pelted their homes with stones (it has happened before, remember) and I would criticize them whole-heartedly, right here.

And they might have lost anyway, after that.

So, just take the whole commentary with a pinch of salt. Khel mein haar jeet hotee rehtee hai. Why make it sound like Panipatt ki Jang, all the time?

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
Believe me, if Pakistani players had argued so long over sponsorship deals and argued to prioritize money-matters above playing for the country, the public would have pelted their homes with stones (it has happened before, remember) and I would criticize them whole-heartedly, right here.

And they might have lost anyway, after that.

So, just take the whole commentary with a pinch of salt. Khel mein haar jeet hotee rehtee hai. Why make it sound like Panipatt ki Jang, all the time?
[/QUOTE]

hummmm...

what about
SAQLAIN playing for county and not the nation? or
RAZZAQ playing for county ? for that matter
Shoib playing club cricket??

Take it with pinch of salt that Pakistani cricketter didnt have any conflict of intrest in case of ICC trophy othewise they would be on road. Poor guys dont get enough product endorsement.

If you know little bit about cricket ,go found out how many pakistani cricketter betrayed their country during karry packer??There are enough incident that pakistani cricketters are the most greedy lot.if you arnt convinced I can give you few more examples.
So dont give lecture on patriotism. Its been an overly used arguement in cases like this.
huh!!!