Red tape blamed for CPL/Guyana fixture fiasco

Dr George Norton

An administrative delay in the paperwork has been blamed for the non-issuance of matches to Guyana following the release of the fixtures for the 2018 HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) last week.

Guyanese who  flock the Providence National Stadium every year to support their local franchise the Guyana Amazon Warriors, were shocked when CPL revealed the fixtures with Guyana the only venue missing from the seven countries who host games annually.

According to a correspondence from the CPL, it is all a matter of paperwork that needs sorting out and is nothing to worry about.

Dr Frank Anthony

According to a source from the `Biggest party in Sports’ he would fall out of his chair in shock if it turns out that CPL matches are  not played in Guyana.

Stabroek Sport then sought answers to a series of questions which sought to clarify if Guyana will host or will not host matches in this year’s CPL but a definite answer was not received.

However, the assurance was given that in about one week’s time this would be made clear since ticket sales are expected to begin by month end.

The CPL has received tremendous support from Guyana, selling out every match that has played here since the birth of CPL in 2013.

Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Sport, Dr George Norton, had said he was yet to see any proposal from CPL but is concerned with the current state of affairs between the two.

Norton admitted that while this is his first run at the head of sports in Guyana, he was dependent of advice from others who have been around longer.

In an invited comment relating to the logistics of CPL/Guyana relations, Dr Frank Anthony, former Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and minister at the time of the launching of CPL said Guyana had secured a bid to host CPL with nine territories competing for the job.

He, along with Irfaan Ali had travelled to Barbados to meet with the heads of CPL and negotiated for the event to come to Guyana after foreseeing the impact it would have both culturally and economically.

Dr Anthony added that when the first agreement was inked, there was a general understanding between the two, and CPL would normally write to the National Stadium management to rent the venue as well as other services in the country such as the Guyana Police Force.

While he was unsure of what could cause the delay, he indicated that it is usual to have the information relating to hosting matches months, sometimes a year in advance.