May confident of solution to dispute

Tim May, the CEO of the Federation of International Cricketers' Association, has said that following a full briefing by the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) and informal discussions with members of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) he was confident that the ongoing dispute between the two would be resolved in the short term.

The dispute has led to a number of players being unavailable for selection for the West Indies, including high profile names such as Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan. The essence of the major dispute surrounds the commercial use of player attributes and restrictions that WICB seek to impose on players' personal endorsement ability.

While May was confident that the matters could be solved, he supported the players' position on the matter, stating that the existing terms and conditions on the table were simply unacceptable and represented terms that no player association could accept.

May believed that the recent election of Ken Gordon to the WICB presidency would have a positive effect upon the stalemate and that the mood of negotiation would change from impasse to one where all parties would work together to find a solution that would satisfy all parties. "At present the interests of all of the key parties are not being served," he said. "Whether it be WICB, the players, the sponsor, the West Indies' cricketing public or world cricket, all parties are suffering as a result of this dispute.

"After discussions with key personnel from both sides of the dispute, I am confident that the mood of the negotiations will be conducted with a more positive and respectful manner and a solution will brokered in the short term."