FICA supports legal action over unpaid BPL fees

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Worcestershire batsman Alexei Kervezee, Northamptonshire wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien and Kent’s former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood are among overseas players allegedly still owed money by the organisers of the Bangladesh Premier League earlier this year.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association warned county players against going to the BPL because of concerns about the lack of anti-corruption and security measures and the financial arrangements that were in place.

Most players travelled only after a percentage of their fees were paid up front but the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association is still working to ensure that all are paid in full four months after the BPL ended.

FICA estimates that around US$600,000 is owed to overseas players, that only eight Bangladeshi players have been paid in full and is now supporting overseas players to take legal action against the organisers.

Tim May, the FICA chief executive, said: “Despite numerous private and public promises and assurances from the BPL, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and its president Mustafa Kamal, hundreds of thousands of dollars are still owed to players from the BPL which was conducted in February this year.

“The franchises and the Bangladesh Cricket Board have been in breach of contract for nearly two and a half months. We have given them every opportunity to settle these amounts and they have continually responded with a series of broken promises and empty public pronouncements.

“We have repeatedly tried to address this matter in a civil and private manner with BPL/BCB and we have given every chance possible for the franchises and BCB to make good the outstanding player payments and their obligations. Unfortunately, they have chosen over recent weeks to only settle a handful of the players’ outstanding sums.

“It is obvious that the BPL franchises and the BCB are either unable or unwilling to meet these financial obligations. FICA is left with no choice but to support the unpaid players in legal action against the franchises and BCB in Bangladesh.“

"It goes without saying that FICA will be strongly recommending to all players, both in and outside Bangladesh, that they should not contemplate participating in this tournament in the coming years.”

Date: 11/07/2012 18:51:15 by Paul Bolton
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