Proteas celebrating a Test wicket
- The South African Cricketers’ Association feels the crisis currently engulfing Cricket South Africa is threatening the very existence of the game.
- Both CSA president Chris Nenzani and acting CEO Jacques Faul resigned from their positions this week.
- SACA has revealed that the players feel their livelihoods as professional cricketers are being “threatened”.
The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has called for Cricket South Africa (CSA) to sort out its governance issues before it “threatens the future of the game”.
CSA has been in the spotlight with its ongoing boardroom woes, which resulted in the resignation of president Chris Nenzani and CEO Jacques Faul this week.
And the crisis doesn’t stop there.
While the whole world grapples with a pandemic, CSA has also had to deal with the issues related to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Former national players have spoken up over mistreatment and racial inequality within the Proteas set-up, which saw the sports minister Nathi Mthethwa meet with the organisation.
READ: Sports minister tells CSA to get its house in order: ‘Racism in cricket will not be tolerated’
SACA on Wednesday released a press statement calling on CSA to show leadership in dealing with several issues facing the game: the racial discrimination that has come to the fore over the past two months; the resumption of domestic and international cricket under Covid-19; the finalisation of the disciplinary matter of the suspended CEO; the forensic investigation; and the forecast deficit which has the potential to financially cripple the game.
SACA highlighted that the crises currently engulfing CSA could “threaten the very existence of the game” in South Africa.
“SACA has called for certainty and consistency in the governance and management of the game. The sudden resignation of both the President and Acting-CEO is clear evidence that cricket in South Africa is at war with itself,” read the press statement.
SACA CEO Andrew Breetzke demanded that Nenzani explained himself to stakeholders after stepping down three weeks before the CSA Annual General Meeting (AGM).
“Nenzani owes all stakeholders an immediate explanation as to why he has stood down a mere three weeks before the CSA AGM, after he had refused to do so over the previous eight-month period despite calls to do so from key stakeholders within the game,” Breetzke said in a press release.
“Together with the sudden resignation of Jacques Faul as acting-CEO, one can only deduce that the Board of Directors has yet again reached a level of dysfunctionality that threatens the existence of the game in our country.”
Earlier this week, CSA’s members’ council appointed Beresford Williams as acting president, while on Wednesday, Kugandrie Govender took over from Faul as acting CEO, becoming the first female to serve in the role.
SACA revealed in the press release that it has been engaging directly with players.
“There is a growing realisation amongst players that their careers as professional cricketers are being threatened by the very organisation that should be nurturing them,” it read.
SACA president Omphile Ramela believes in order for CSA to prevent a “total collapse”, intervention needs to take pace at board and management level.
“Instead of facing these crises, CSA is embroiled in destructive politics at board and management level. It is evident that cricket is unable to self-correct. With the CSA AGM looming, the reality is that a number of Affiliates have crises of their own, and it is these structures that provide leadership to CSA,” added Ramela.
“Many of the administrative challenges confronting the game are as a result of administrators failing to adhere to principles of corporate governance. Before we see the total collapse of the game of cricket there needs to be a leadership intervention at Board and Management level that is able to stabilise and transform both the game and the business of cricket.”
– Compiled by Sport24 staff
