Chairman of Selectors Slams Government Over Non-Payment of Monies

In a startling disclosure Claude Rafael, Chairman of Selectors of the Guyana National Cricket Team slammed the Government of Guyana for not paying the full sponsorship monies due to the Guyana Cricket Team. Sources say the startling revelations were made over the last weekend by Rafael in the presence of several persons at a cricket associated event.

The Guyana Cricket Team upon winning the Caribbean Twenty/ 20 Tournament in July, 2010 were the representatives of the region at the Airtel Champions League 2010 in South Africa. The team then received numerous offers to sponsor them in the Airtel Champions League 2010; but the then acting Minister of Sport Irfan Ali insisted he could arrange for a more lucrative sponsorship commitment that was being offered to the Guyana Cricket Board at the time. In the end the Guyana Cricket Board had no sponsor and President Bharrat Jagdeo to sponsor the Cricket Team and ensure the Team had the necessary funding to prepare and participate in the Champions League. The urgent and magnanimous act of the Guyanese President saved the day for the Guyana Cricket Team. However, sources at the Berbice Cricket Board have confirmed that to date the Government of Guyana has not paid the full sponsorship amount to date.

The Cricket Crusader was able to confirm Rafael's statements from multiple persons present at the gathering. The Chairman revealed that one of the officials seeking to be elected President of the Guyana Cricket Board, Bissoondyal Singh, had informed him that he had gotten junior Minister of Housing Mr. Irfan Ali to block the sponsorship payment due tot he players. Rafael said the PPP Government was most likely not paying money to the players because they wanted to siphon off the money to fund their participation in the upcoming General Elections.

Persons at the event said Rafael was adamant that Bissoondyal would be the next President of the Guyana Cricket Board but he doubted whether the Government would even pay the money even then; because as he said "dem man corrupt" and "nobody gon get that money from them". 

Rafael said further that its only the players who will suffer because of the pure greed of the Guyana Government. The sponsorship money was to be paid in part to the players.