SUNIL JAYASIRI 
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SLC rejects Mahela's request
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to reject a request from Sri Lanka team captain Mahela Jayawardene to pay a part of the guarantee fee due to the players from the concluded ICC World T20 to the support staff and nominated coaches.
Jayawardene had submitted a list of names that included some team officials apart from the 15 Sri Lanka squad players to the SLC Finance Manager with a request to distribute the money according to the list. However SLC has turned it down.
SLC pays guarantee money only to the players and has taken a firm decision on the matter at an Ex-Co meeting held on July 12 this year.
It was decided at that ExCo meeting that officials/staff of SLC should not be compensated from any payment due to the players without the knowledge and approval of the Board.
Finance Manager had thus submitted Jayawardene’s request for the ExCo approval as it contravened the earlier ExCo decision.
“We pay 25 percent of the total guarantee money SLC receives from ICC tournaments to the squad players according to the contractual agreement. We tried to negotiate this and pay less to the players as our cash flow situation is tight. But the players did not agree” said SLC Treasurer Nuski Mohamed.
“Anyway, we are now paying them their due 25 percent. The players have however named a few team officials and staff, asking us to pay a part of the guarantee fee due to the players to the nominated official. We have rejected that due to several reasons” Mohamed added.
“The first reason was that they had not included all coaches and other staff in the list. So, it is discrimination and will obviously create dissention among officials who get this payment and those who do not. We cannot get involved in that situation” he explained.
“This is different from Prize Money. They can share their Prize Money as they please. But when our staff is involved it is a completely different issue and SLC has to take responsibility. When we write our cheques and deduct taxes this issue will become official. Then we have to account for the basis of distribution. That is why SLC cannot get involved” Mohamed pointed out adding “It is also going to create a precedent”.
“We have told the players that we can pay the guarantee fee due to each one of them but not the officials. If they want to pay their favourite officials or staff, it is their discretion. Once we settle their guarantee fee, they can pay the officials directly as they like. We cannot get involved in it” Mohamed said.
Mohamed agreed that if the list had included all involved staff without discriminations, the issue would have been less complicated.
“This may not be a big issue. But it is a matter of principle” Mohamed added.
According to the list prepared by Jayawardene, the six senior players of the team which finished runners up in the ICC World T20 which was also hosted by Sri Lanka are to each receive Rs. 12.5 million as guarantee fees for the tournament while the youngest members Shaminda Eranga, Dilshan Munaweera and Akila Dhananjaya will receive Rs. three million each.
This Guarantee fee is in addition to the payments such as match fees, prize money, contract fees and food allowances players receive.
Sri Lanka cricketers however, have taken the commendable initiative to reward all those who have supported them in their successful campaign and according to the list even the team’s baggage boy P.D. Nimal is in for a One million Rupee guarantee fee.
But as the list suggests, the value placed on the services of SLC Media Manager and Sri Lanka team’s media liaison officer Rajith Fernando is only half of that of the baggage boy.
Sri Lanka cricketers have also remembered the support given to them by the Ground staffs and curators at the three venues the World T20 was played and have even rewarded the Bowling machine handler.
Cricketers have decided to offer Rs. 14. 5 million to the coaching staff and altogether Rs. 22.95 million of their guarantee fees to the people who helped them during the World T20. (Channaka de Silva)
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