SA Footy

ICC in turmoil as Speed ousted

Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has been put on paid leave until his contract runs out on July 4.

In a brief statement, David Morgan, the ICC's president-elect, said: "This ... is the result of a fundamental breakdown in the relationship between the CEO and a number of board members, including the president, over a variety of issues that include Zimbabwe.

The Lack of Credibility shown by the ICC in recent years is getting far beyond a Joke and i've stopped laughing about it long ago.

For those who worry about cricket and where the sport is heading, this is about the most disturbing thing in a long line of worrying things to have happen. over the past few years.

Guts of the story for those who may not be across it is that there has been an ICC report into Zimbabwe done over the last few years, alleging widespread corruption and money-laundering of ICC funds disappearing into private bank accounts within the country.

Malcolm has demanded an independent report be released, and this has been stymied. We don't know what is in the report, but it hasn't seen the light of day and that has many deeply concerned. As such, Speed's refused to abide by the decision to bury the report, and effectively been sacked.

I'll put my hand up now and say Malcolm was a boss in a previous work life of mine (a hard man but you knew where you stood, he backed you in your role and you were always motivated and enjoying the job) and I have that interest to declare, but this is a massive concern for cricket, and how decisions on the future of the game at the very highest levels are being made.

Former ICC president Malcolm Gray has slammed the decision to send Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, on gardening leave until his contract expires on July 4.

"I think it's disgraceful," Gray, who hired Speed in 2001, said. "To me it smacks of mismanagement of a man leaving his position. By doing this it just shows there are problems," Gray told The Age. "Whether it's a cricket body or a corporation you don't bare your dirty washing in public if you can help it. In this case I'd have thought it would be completely avoidable.

"I suspect parts of the problems ... have been brought about by the use of power, with the money flowing in, underlying a lot of decisions in international bodies. Regrettably, there are racial connotations."

brod wrote:Former ICC president Malcolm Gray has slammed the decision to send Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, on gardening leave until his contract expires on July 4.

"I think it's disgraceful," Gray, who hired Speed in 2001, said. "To me it smacks of mismanagement of a man leaving his position. By doing this it just shows there are problems," Gray told The Age. "Whether it's a cricket body or a corporation you don't bare your dirty washing in public if you can help it. In this case I'd have thought it would be completely avoidable.

"I suspect parts of the problems ... have been brought about by the use of power, with the money flowing in, underlying a lot of decisions in international bodies. Regrettably, there are racial connotations."

Whose side is this guy on? It sounds like he is saying that he agrees there is backdoor shenanigans going on in the ICC, but you shouldn't expose them?

Full article-

Speed decision 'disgraceful' says former ICC chief

Former ICC president Malcolm Gray has slammed the decision to send Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, on gardening leave until his contract expires on July 4.
"I think it's disgraceful. To me it smacks of mismanagement of a man leaving his position. By doing this it just shows there are problems," Gray , who hired Speed in 2001, told The Age. "Whether it's a cricket body or a corporation you don't bare your dirty washing in public if you can help it. In this case I'd have thought it would be completely avoidable.
"I suspect parts of the problems ... have been brought about by the use of power, with the money flowing in, underlying a lot of decisions in international bodies. Regrettably, there are racial connotations."
Creagh O'Connor, the chairman of Cricket Australia, paid tribute to Speed. "I note with regret that Malcolm Speed's distinguished career as an international cricket administrator has ended in the manner in which it has," O'Connor said. "I have worked with Malcolm for many years during his time as chief executive officer of the then Australian Cricket Board and, for the last seven years, as chief executive of the ICC.
"I know first-hand of the dispassionate, professional and diligent manner in which he has sought for cricket to achieve high standards of administrative excellence."
Hinting that the decision highlighted rifts within the executive board, he added: "As many have noted in the last few days, administering the ICC, which features a diverse global constituency, is a challenging task.
"Cricket is becoming a genuinely global sport and will only have a long-term, sustainable future if the diverse interests within the game can put the game's interests ahead of any other interests."

Ehsan Mani has warned that the ICC could lose credibility as a result of the "disgraceful" handling of the Malcolm Speed affair. Speed was placed on gardening leave until the end of his contract in July after reportedly falling out with some of the executive board.
Mani, who was president of the ICC between 2003 and 2006, said that he was disappointed with the way the matter had been dealt with. "He [Speed] has served the ICC with loyalty and a huge amount of distinction and I would have expected that if there were differences they could have been handled privately," Mani told the Daily Telegraph|.
"The way the board has handled this has been disgraceful. If they do not pull their act together they will lose credibility.'' Mani's comments come in the wake of similar remarks by his predecessor, Malcolm Gray, who said that things had got out of control and that differences "should be handled better".
The current executive will also be uneasy with Mani's comments about the independent forensic audit into Zimbabwe Cricket. It voted to keep the report secret, a decision which was the catalyst for Speed's departure as he made it clear he did not agree with the move.
"The ICC must always be transparent,'' Mani said. "Ideally the report should have been made public. Nothing ever stays private. But I am hopeful that with David Morgan taking over [in July] the ICC will come through this."