PCB, ICC resolve World Cup dispute

[EagleEyes]

"Hmmm something is in my nose."

 

[Moin91]

Friday, August 28, 2009
By our correspondent

KARACHI: Ijaz Butt declared on Thursday that his top priority is to ensure that Pakistan cricket is not allowed to suffer any more after reaching a settlement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over a dispute relating to the staging of the 2011 World Cup.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman met with ICC president David Morgan in Dubai where the two officials agreed to resolve the dispute which was threatening to snowball into a major headache for both the parties.

Butt said that he was pleased with the outcome of Thursday’s meeting.

“The PCB is content with the settlement that has been reached. We are able to see this dispute from the other side. We realise also the logistical and administrative difficulties that would be associated with organising our matches in the other three co-host countries.

“Our number one priority is that cricket in Pakistan must not be allowed to suffer unduly and I believe this agreement is the best possible outcome for the game,” he said in a statement.

Pakistan will receive financial compensation in exchange of giving up its court case against the ICC.

“In an agreement with the commercial arm of the ICC, the PCB will retain its host fees and also receive an additional payment as reasonable compensation for loss of hosting rights that it would have enjoyed had it hosted the matches on Pakistan soil,” said an ICC statement.

“It was further agreed that the PCB would be free of its liabilities and obligations associated with hosting matches during the tournament, including the location of the tournament secretariat which had originally been set for Lahore,” it added.

According to the statement, it was anticipated that the settlement will be signed by both parties later on Thursday at which point the PCB has agreed to withdraw its legal proceedings against the ICC.

However, according to sources, there could be a slight disagreement between the two parties as the PCB was insisting on a clause in the agreement saying that Pakistan would be allowed to stage some of its share of 14 matches in case the security situation gets better in the country ahead of the 2011 spectacle.

Pakistan were supposed to host 14 of the World Cup games but the ICC decided to shift them to the other three hosts — India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — because of security apprehensions after Sri Lankan cricketers were attacked in Lahore last March.

Meanwhile, Morgan welcomed the new development. “This resolution is good for world cricket and provides an improved platform for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as we now have a degree of certainty surrounding the event that was not there while the dispute was ongoing,” he said in a statement.

“I am glad we were able to come to an amicable agreement and I believe this is a fair resolution for the PCB and the ICC.

“When the position in Pakistan, from a safety and security point of view, becomes satisfactory to the ICC and its specialist security advisors as well as to visiting teams, then international cricket will return to Pakistan,” added Morgan.

PCB, ICC resolve World Cup dispute

 

[Moin91]

PCB expects Rs1.5bn from ICC deal

Saturday, August 29, 2009
LAHORE: Pakistan on Friday said that it hoped to get around 1.5 billion rupees in compensation for losing its share of World Cup 2011 matches over security fears.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced the World Cup matches dispute with Pakistan was resolved after its President David Morgan and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt met in Dubai.

Butt said Pakistan expects to get Rs1.5 billion in all.

"Apart from our hosting rights fee of 10.5 million dollars, we expect to get some additional amount in compensation which, after calculation, will come to 1.5 billion rupees," Butt told a press conference on his return from Dubai.

In April this year, the ICC was forced to relocate Pakistan's share of 14 matches because of security fears after attacks in Lahore on the Sri Lankan team on March 3.

The attacks injured seven players and their assistant coach and killed eight people.

The PCB served a legal notice on the ICC, saying the relocation was unjust, but after Thursday's agreement they have withdrawn the legal case. The Central Organising Committee of the World Cup 2011 last month awarded eight of Pakistan's matches to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.

Besides World Cup matches, the Champions Trophy 2008 was also moved out to South Africa after several teams refused to tour Pakistan over security fears.

Butt said the solution was the best possible under the circumstances.

"We feel that this was the best possible solution and we will get additional amount and would not be forced to beg around for money to keep our cricket on track," said Butt, whose organisation is strapped for cash with no international cricket at home.

In return of the compensation, the PCB will withdraw all its legal cases against the ICC and all its 14 World Cup matches will now be distributed among India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - the three co-hosts of the World Cup.

"Within the next 15 days the PCB will withdraw all its legal cases against the ICC," Butt said.

Butt said a clause had been added to Thursday's agreement, saying international cricket will return to Pakistan when the ICC and other teams are satisfied the security situation had sufficiently improved.

Pakistan incurred financial losses to the tune of 30 million dollars after India refused to send its team to Pakistan for a series in January-February this year.

India's refusal came in the wake of last year's attacks on its commercial hub Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on militants based in Pakistan.

Butt accused India of vetoing Pakistan's request of hosting its World Cup matches on neutral venues, notably in the United Arab Emirates where Pakistan have recently played after teams refused to tour.

"Morgan and incoming ICC President Sharad Pawar had no problems in Pakistan hosting their matches at neutral venues, but the Indian Board refused to accept that," he said.

"England hosted some of the matches in Ireland and Scotland during the 1999 World Cup and when the World Cup was held in South Africa in 2003 some of the matches were held in Zimbabwe and Kenya. It could have happened again."

 

[DaRk WaVe]

go to India and win world cup there, go men in green go

 

[Moin91]

We will not be able to play World Cup matches in India Instead Government give permission to pak cricket team......

 

[third eye]

PCB chief now praises Pawar

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt lavished praise on ICC vice president Sharad Pawar on Friday, saying the former BCCI president remained sympathetic and neutral during PCB’s negotiation with the International Cricket Council on issues pertaining to the 2011 World Cup.

Butt conceded he too subscribed to the popular notion here that BCCI actually ditched PCB in its effort to get back the 14 matches of the 2011 World Cup which were shifted out of the country on security grounds.

“At first that thought came to my mind but I can say with confident that David Morgan and Sharad Pawar remained neutral throughout and were very helpful and supportive to our cause,” Butt said.
“Morgan and Pawar have been very supportive to Pakistan cricket and I am thankful for that. It was because of them that we have managed to resolve this dispute and reach a solution acceptable to everyone,” Butt said.

 

[Awesome]

The situation in Pak has vastly improved since March this year. Especially after we recaptured the Swat Valley. Things would look quite different by WC2011

 

[rubyjackass]

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/cricket/11-pakistan-ends-legal-battle-on-world-cup-2011--il--07

‘Pakistan would have suffered heavy financial losses if we were to play at neutral venues, although we did think over it seriously. But that could have been disastrous. It was simply not viable for Pakistan to opt for such an option,’ Ijaz explained.

I wanted to post this earlier. Anyway it can be inferred that the neutral venue idea of PCB was just to deny other organizers profits even if it meant they themselves are going to gain less if not loose something. More for a moral high ground in public's ears and eyes.
This is the reason why the other organizers resisted PCB's attempts for a neutral venue. Anyhow now we know it is just a bargaining technique.
The only way that could have let the ring of organizers(the joint bidders) profit as a whole is to shift the venues to the already existing ones. PCB will now gain in terms of money without much effort. They will however loose on count of intangible benefits like tourism, goodwill and influence with ICC, local people's convenience etc., which is a given in wake of the security situation prevailing there(To be precise it is only because of the world's perception of the situation).

Anyone see this differently?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

PCB chief now praises Pawar

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt lavished praise on ICC vice president Sharad Pawar on Friday, saying the former BCCI president remained sympathetic and neutral during PCB’s negotiation with the International Cricket Council on issues pertaining to the 2011 World Cup.

Butt conceded he too subscribed to the popular notion here that BCCI actually ditched PCB in its effort to get back the 14 matches of the 2011 World Cup which were shifted out of the country on security grounds.

“At first that thought came to my mind but I can say with confident that David Morgan and Sharad Pawar remained neutral throughout and were very helpful and supportive to our cause,” Butt said.
“Morgan and Pawar have been very supportive to Pakistan cricket and I am thankful for that. It was because of them that we have managed to resolve this dispute and reach a solution acceptable to everyone,” Butt said.

The PCB, AFAIK, never criticized Sharad Pawar, and its officials had indicated before that he was sympathetic to the PCB's POV.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

DAWN.COM | Cricket | PCB opts for out-of-court World Cup 2011 settlement



I wanted to post this earlier. Anyway it can be inferred that the neutral venue idea of PCB was just to deny other organizers profits even if it meant they themselves are going to gain less if not loose something. More for a moral high ground in public's ears and eyes.
This is the reason why the other organizers resisted PCB's attempts for a neutral venue. Anyhow now we know it is just a bargaining technique.
The only way that could have let the ring of organizers(the joint bidders) profit as a whole is to shift the venues to the already existing ones. PCB will now gain in terms of money without much effort. They will however loose on count of intangible benefits like tourism, goodwill and influence with ICC, local people's convenience etc., which is a given in wake of the security situation prevailing there(To be precise it is only because of the world's perception of the situation).

Anyone see this differently?

It was either a bargaining tactic or an attempt to deny the others profit.

It can't be both since the former would imply that the PCB was not really interested in the 'profit making of the others' - and if the latter, it would not have settled with the ICC, since it still allows the others to 'make profit'.

 

[rubyjackass]

I agree that it was an exclusive 'or'. Looking back, I can even say that it is more about tactics. Only the ill-effects are people who watch the situation get the vibe that PCB was getting shoved for nothing. Only damage is people's bad perception of other countries.

 

[nadeem1414]

It was the Pakistan Cricket Board wickness and weak policies for shifting the world cup from Pakistan, every one may understand that the India, Srilanka and Bangladesh are not safe for playing,like Pakistan, it should be shifted from other's.