‘Cricket SA’s board must resign’
● CEO Moroe’s suspension not enough to stop rot, says player’s union
The SA Cricketers’ Association has reiterated its call for the entire board of crisis-hit Cricket SA to resign.
It is the second time in four days that the powerful players’ union has called for the removal of suspended CEO Thabang Moroe and the 12-member board led by its president, Chris Nenzani.
Under pressure from the public to act as CSA was plunged into chaos‚ the embattled organisation resolved on Friday to suspend Moroe for misconduct on full pay.
But it said that president Nenzani‚ vice-president Beresford Williams and the other directors intended to continue in office.
On Monday‚ two days after the cricketers’ association first called for the resignation of both the board and Moroe‚ it welcomed the CEO’s suspension but said the buck did not stop with him.
It called for the entire board to be dissolved.
“We are astounded that the board of CSA, which has led the organisation during a tumultuous period when all this has happened now refuses to take responsibility for the deep‚ deep crisis in which cricket finds itself‚” outgoing cricketers association CEO Tony Irish said on Monday.
“No-one disagrees with the removal of the chief executive‚ but to suggest that the buck stopped with him alone‚ and for the board to cling so desperately to power‚ is a matter for serious concern.”
The players’ union listed forecasts of huge, unprecedented financial deficits‚ reports of uncontrolled spending by staff‚ suspensions of senior employees‚ resignations of board members and attempts to silence the media as among its concerns.
“These have unfolded over a period of time on the board’s watch‚ mostly with its knowledge and some even with its support‚” Irish said.
Matters came to a head at the chaotic CSA last week when two independent board members — Professor Shirley Zinn and Iqbal Khan — separately tendered their resignations with immediate effect.
The situation worsened on Friday, when Standard Bank confirmed that it would not renew its contract with CSA as the title sponsor for the Proteas when it ends on April 30 2020.
The bank said CSA’s administrative bungles had “damaged its reputation”.
As things stand‚ the senior men’s national cricket team does not have a director of cricket and team director and there is no panel of selectors with the England tour to South Africa looming large.
The first Test starts in Centurion on Boxing Day.
In an attempt to steer the CSA ship back to safe waters and win back the public’s trust‚ the reeling organisation roped in Jacques Faul as acting CEO in place of the suspended Moroe at its AGM on Saturday.
Faul‚ who previously served in the same interim capacity‚ will be assisted by former International Cricket Council chief Dave Richardson in a consultancy role.
Former Proteas captain Graeme Smith has in principle agreed to become CSA’s first ever director of cricket and is expected to put pen to paper this week.
Richardson said bringing Smith on board as director of cricket would be a step in the right direction.
“We need to get Graeme Smith’s contract signed and sealed‚” Richardson said.
“He reads the game well and he’s got all the credentials to do a great job. ”—