T20 owners at odds with CSA

Stars’ Sethi joins furore over delayed global league

Nelson Mandela Bay Stars’ Ajay Sethi has joined the chorus of T20 Global League (T20GL) owners unhappy about Cricket South Africa’s handling of the tournament that never was.

The disgruntled Durban Qualandars and the Pretoria Mavericks have already voiced their displeasure at CSA’s decision to reinvent the competition.

It was to have been played for the first time in November and December last year but was postponed for a year when it emerged it would lose almost R180-million.

It is now a new venture owned by the board and SuperSport.

CSA’s board has said previously that “the majority of the owners [of the eight teams] clearly indicated the important matters they wanted to be resolved, that being the refund of the deposits and matters re the cost incurred”.

Most of the original franchise owners have been refunded their deposit of $250 000 – almost R3.4-million at the current exchange rate – plus interest of 3% or 3.5%.

But that is not good enough for the Qualandars, who say they want a piece of the action instead, or the Mavericks, who also want the up to R6.7-million they have spent on salaries and logistics.

Yesterday, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars climbed onto the bandwagon. “CSA has no right to damage our credibility,” Sethi, the owner of the Port Elizabeth franchise, said.

“Either they should let the owners or IMG [the International Management Group] run the league, or pay us projected profits and damages.

“They can’t get away with everything.”

Sethi was responding to a question about why he wanted to remain involved with the project despite CSA having let the owners down.

Asked if the Stars were, like the Qualandars and the Mavericks, considering taking legal action against CSA, Sethi said, “Yes, as CSA can’t send the deposit back and take our rights.”

In a statement released earlier, Sethi had said: “We were very happy that the SuperSport deal was the way forward for all of us, but it was shocking to hear that CSA had another agenda by putting owners out of the league.”

The T20GL was called off in October partly because, according to CSA, it had failed to secure a host broadcaster.

But Sethi apparently smells a rat. “CSA seems to have a different plan to remove the owners and then do the media deal,” he said in the statement.

“This is totally unethical and no federation will do that in any part of the world.

“We would like to know how can SuperSport sign the deal immediately after the termination letter was sent to us?”

That CSA had paid back his deposit did not cut much ice with Sethi.

“We had made it very clear to CSA that if they did not give a definite date for the new league, the deposit would [have to] be refunded.

“Moreover, we clearly mentioned to them that our rights remained as owners.

“CSA didn’t respond – that meant they had accepted our mail.

“Hence, by [returning our deposit], CSA cannot take our rights back as owners.”

Sethi also laid into CSA for the way its relationship with former chief executive Haroon Lorgat had ended.

The board had said shortly before the T20GL was shelved that they had “parted ways amicably” with Lorgat, but few believed that.

“We feel that they [axed] the CEO to manipulate the process,” Sethi wrote.

“This is totally unethical and no federation will do that in any part of the world.”

He warned that CSA’s behaviour could have far-reaching adverse effects.

“There is no trust left in any federation of sports in South Africa. Who can we trust?

“Foreign investment of [millions] was wasted. This kind of behaviour has given a wrong message to foreign investors in any business field.”

CSA has not responded to requests for comment. –