West Indies board wants control of Stanford cash

After a muted response to the massive injection of cash promised by Allen Stanford, the West Indies board have finally given a guarded welcome to the proposal, calling on the organizers of the Stanford 2020 to work with the WICB in allocating funding. But both the WICB and the leading boards have made it clear that they expect more control over how the money is spent.

Stanford has underwritten his tournament with around $28 million, $6 million of which is being allocated to 19 countries across the Caribbean to help them prepare for the Stanford 2020.

"In view of recent statements in the media attributed to Stanford, it is considered necessary to clarify the position of the territorial boards in relation to his offer to disburse funding," a WICB statement said. "The generous offer of assistance, which is proposed, is to be welcomed, but if it is Stanford's desire to genuinely assist in the development of cricket, we would expect this to be progressed in conjunction with existing Caribbean initiatives, which are well advanced.

"Visits to our respective territories have been made by envoys of Stanford and we have indicated general interest in his proposal to offer funding. But we have made it clear that we expect these arrangements to be pursued through our collective participation at the level of the WICB."

The slightly tetchy tone of the statement follows comments made by Ken Gordon which were equally two-edged. ""It's Stanford's money and if that's how he wants to spend it he's free to do so," Gordon told the Jamaica Star. "I certainly feel the longer term objectives of cricket might be better served with that kind of investment, if it were programmed in a different way."

And six of the boards - Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands - issued a joint statement saying they expected cash to be directed through the WICB. However, within hours Trinidad & Tobago broke ranks and said it would accept the money directly.

None of the boards, including the WICB, are in a position to turn away Stanford's funding. Yesterday, Gordon told the Trinidad & Tobago Express: "We are bankrupt. We have a deficit of US $15 million."

There had been suggestions from unnamed sources within the WICB that Stanford had kept it in the dark. That was tersely rejected in a statement from the tournament organisers.

"From the outset Allen Stanford has been fully supportive of Ken Gordon and has kept him apprised of the plans for the Stanford 2020 tournament," the statement said. "We also understand WICB is the governing body of cricket in the West Indies and support them as such. It is and has always been our intention to work with them on this initiative, however we do not see them as the managers of the funds, considering that some of the nations involved do not fall under the auspices of the WICB."

While the WICB might not like it and will probably continue to huff and puff, Stanford has the cash and can call the shots. And with most regional boards strapped for cash, it will be a brave executive which turns down the $280,000 they will each receive.