Tim May quits as FICA chief
Head of international players’ union tired of battling ICC.
Tim May (centre) slammed the ICC as he stepped down as Fica chief yesterday. PHOTO: AFP
SYDNEY:
Tim May quit as head of cricket’s international players’ union after eight years yesterday, lashing out at the sport’s powerbrokers and their alleged ‘threats, intimidation and backroom deals’.
May, who was last month controversially ousted from an International Cricket Council (ICC) players’ committee amid allegations of pressure from India, said he was tired of battling the governing body.
“More and more we see allegations of corruption and malpractice on and off the field dominating headlines,” said May, stepping down as the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (Fica) chief. “As stakeholders in the game, we look to leadership from the ICC to address these and other issues. A vital ingredient of any organisation is the ability of its leaders to set the moral and principled example to others, and to police its organisation from top to bottom to ensure adherence to those principles.
“Yet cricket increasingly seems to be pushing aside the principles of transparency, accountability, independence, and upholding the best interests of the global game, in favour of a system that appears to operate through threats, intimidation and backroom deals.”
When the former Australia off-spinner was replaced as a players’ representative on the ICC cricket committee by India’s Laxman Sivaramakrishnan last month, Fica suggested there had been ballot ‘fixing’. It claimed a run-off between May and Sivaramakrishnan was not conducted fairly, with some national boards exerting undue pressure on their captains to back the Indian. May has previously challenged all national cricket boards on issues ranging from tour scheduling to the Woolf report, which tried to revamp ICC governance but was rejected by India. His decision to stand down was greeted with sadness by Australia captain Michael Clarke and former skipper Ricky Ponting, who hailed his crucial role in improving player conditions worldwide.
“From a player’s perspective, his influence on the game should never be forgotten,” said Clarke. “It’s difficult to imagine where the players of today would be without May’s contribution.”
Ponting called him ‘a pioneer in every way’.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2013.
Tim May quit as head of cricket’s international players’ union after eight years yesterday, lashing out at the sport’s powerbrokers and their alleged ‘threats, intimidation and backroom deals’.
May, who was last month controversially ousted from an International Cricket Council (ICC) players’ committee amid allegations of pressure from India, said he was tired of battling the governing body.
“More and more we see allegations of corruption and malpractice on and off the field dominating headlines,” said May, stepping down as the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (Fica) chief. “As stakeholders in the game, we look to leadership from the ICC to address these and other issues. A vital ingredient of any organisation is the ability of its leaders to set the moral and principled example to others, and to police its organisation from top to bottom to ensure adherence to those principles.
“Yet cricket increasingly seems to be pushing aside the principles of transparency, accountability, independence, and upholding the best interests of the global game, in favour of a system that appears to operate through threats, intimidation and backroom deals.”
When the former Australia off-spinner was replaced as a players’ representative on the ICC cricket committee by India’s Laxman Sivaramakrishnan last month, Fica suggested there had been ballot ‘fixing’. It claimed a run-off between May and Sivaramakrishnan was not conducted fairly, with some national boards exerting undue pressure on their captains to back the Indian. May has previously challenged all national cricket boards on issues ranging from tour scheduling to the Woolf report, which tried to revamp ICC governance but was rejected by India. His decision to stand down was greeted with sadness by Australia captain Michael Clarke and former skipper Ricky Ponting, who hailed his crucial role in improving player conditions worldwide.
“From a player’s perspective, his influence on the game should never be forgotten,” said Clarke. “It’s difficult to imagine where the players of today would be without May’s contribution.”
Ponting called him ‘a pioneer in every way’.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2013.