Showdown looms between players and Cricket SA
The governing body at the weekend announced austerity plans to counter a dire financial position, but there hasn't been much consultation.
CEO Thabang Moroe of CSA and CEO Tony Irish of SACA during the Cricket South Africa (CSA) and South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) Joint media briefing at CSA Offices on July 31, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
Cricket South Africa’s embryonic plans to restructure domestic cricket and replace the six franchises with 12 first-class teams will come to naught unless they start consulting properly with the players, South African Cricketers Association (Saca) head Tony Irish warned.
CSA announced their intention to go back to the system of 12 provinces that was in place prior to the switch to franchises in 2004, ostensibly as an austerity measure for an organisation that is in financial crisis.
But in terms of the memorandum of understanding Saca have with CSA, any major changes have to be agreed to first by the players’ union.
Despite CSA’s statement that the change will increase playing opportunities for between 70 and 80 players, all Saca members with professional contacts will lose their jobs if it goes ahead.
“The MoU states that in order to restructure domestic cricket, CSA have to come to agreement with the players. But we have not been properly consulted, both in terms of the financial issues for which we have sought clarification but received no response; and in terms of how this is actually going to take place.
“This whole restructuring is clearly a change in the MoU and they cannot implement it without our agreement. If they don’t take heed of our concerns then there will be a legal fight going forward. There are questions unanswered that have massive implications for our members, we need financial clarity and they should be getting our agreement,” Irish said.
Apart from the players that will lose their professional contracts, another unwanted development if the new system goes ahead, will be the inevitability that top franchise players will be earning less than they do at present.
With the six franchises being folded back into the 12 semi-pro teams, the new system will cost CSA more unless they cut player salaries. As it is, going from six top-level teams to 12 will not really make much difference to an organisation that is hundreds of millions of rand in debt.
Last October, CSA told the parliamentary sports portfolio committee that they projected a loss of R654 million in their next four-year financial cycle.
At the weekend, CEO Thabang Moroe said this forecast was now sitting at R350 million, but he gave no financial details as to how this improved position would come about, save for saying their domestic competitions would now cost them less.
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