Former Government minister Manohar Ramsaran has launched a broadside against chairman of the Sport Company of T&T SPORTT Dinanath Ramnarine, calling on him to resign immediately.
Ramsaran said in order to resolve his serious conflicts of interest, Ramnarine should either resign from SPORTT, or as a member of the T&T Cricket Board.
“It is unbelievable that Ramnarine is bobbing like a yo-yo between the two positions. He clearly cannot do his job while occupying both of these positions.
The Monroe Road Sports Club president, who is a nominated member of the TTCB said Ramnarine should demonstrate his professed love of cricket by doing the right thing by stepping aside which will allow the sport of cricket to breathe again.
Ramsaran said that he takes no comfort in the recent media release sent out by SPORTT claiming that Ramnarine has recused himself from all cricket matters.
In the media release SPORTT also made a veiled threat of legal action against the TTCB for raising the conflict of interest issue involving its chairman.
With regard to the TTCB, one director, Richard McFarlane, late last year had reason to raise the issue with his fellow SPORTT directors whom he criticised for its treatment of the TTCB.
“I have questioned previously communications from SPORTT to the T&T Cricket Board in which the TTCB is barred from using any part of its 2018 subvention funds to offset expenses incurred during 2017,” McFarlane was quoted in a newspaper report last November.
“I have stated that this is quite unfair since the TTCB only received ten per cent of its promised subvention for the financial year 2017. I have, through several earlier email communications, expressed that I thought this restriction should be rescinded.
“To date I am unaware if this has been addressed [and] I ask the board now to review this matter guided by the company’s policy which governs subventions,” McFarlane said.
Ramsaran also slammed the decision of SPORTT to bypass the TTCB in handing out grants to 38 selected clubs which campaign in the National League (Premier Division, and Championship).
“If my calculations are correct there are 40 clubs in the National League. Why were the other two left out? It is my understanding that Monroe Road Sports Club, of which I am the president is one of the clubs which will suffer,” said Ramsaran.
