By Sam Sooppersaud
“The sealing of the historic deal incorporating the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) into the Cricket Holdings America company which comprises three foreign entities, will give America’s cricket the springboard to finance programs that have stunted real development over the years.” This is what Orin Davidson wrote on Newyorkcricket.com on December, 19, 2010, in his column USACA ROLLING IN MILLIONS.
USACA president Gladstone Dainty. Photo by Shiek Mohamed
Orin made these comments in response to the “lucrative” deal signed by the partners, Rajiv Podar, the Managing Director of Podar Enterprises, also the Director of Sports Development (India) Ltd, Neil Maxwell of the Australian marketing firm, Insite, and Gladstone Dainty of the United States of America Cricket Association. This historic agreement signed in late November, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California, gave cricket stakeholders in the USA a renewed hope that finally USACA would have the finances to move our cricket to a higher level. This was merely a shattered dream.
The agreement made way for the creation of Cricket Holdings America, LLC, an entity that would manage all commercial rights for cricket in USA, including T20 rights. CHA is expected to have roughly $80 to $100 Million in capitalized value. An excellent opportunity for our cricket (honest) administrators to finally have the tools with which to develop our sport. But, sadly, this is where that dream begins to be shattered. Some of the people in the high echelons of our governing cricket organization, the USACA, saw this OPPORTUNITY in a different light. They saw it as an opportunity for self-aggrandizement, to make themselves more powerful and eventually richer.
This is where the scheming was initiated. Cricket Holdings America would be comprised of seven (7) Board of Directors: four (4) from the USACA organization and one (1) each from the other partners, Podar Enterprises, InSite, and New Zealand Cricket. Here is where Gladstone Dainty and his clique of dysfunctional began to salivate over the OPPORTUNITY of getting their hands on some of those Benjamins; the green, the dinero, the American dollar.
This so-called lucrative deal was signed in November, 2010. Between that time and April 2011, absolutely no news came from USACA as to what was going on to put the agreement into motion. Nothing was written, nothing was said. But, judging from the latest coup perpetrated on the American cricket stakeholders by the clique on the USACA Board masquerading as cricket administrators, much was done behind closed doors. This band of self-serving imposters began devising their scheme to use the OPPORTUNITY to fortify themselves. The assault on American cricket commenced with one of the boys, 2nd Vice President Manaf Mohamed being named Cricket Manager of USACA. Of course he resigned the VP spot to take on the salaried position. What would you call that, let me see… oh, Reward For Loyalty!
In April 2011, Dainty and his marauding bunch put their devious scheme into motion. They decided that it was time to seat the four (4) Directors on the Cricket Holdings America board. Any reasonable person would assume that the first step would be to send out information to the public inviting interesting – and qualified – persons to send in their resumes. No such thing was done. Why? Because Dainty and the OLD BOYS CLUB had already decided which of their cronies will get the “pork”? So all that had to be done was the formality of the USACA board voting these ##$@%&$$ to sit on the CHA board. (Why not a proper word here; I am trying hard to restrict myself). President Dainty and Treasurer Thickett were in the thick of it.
Dainty did not come to the USACA board to ask for suggestions as to whom should be considered for the CHA jobs… Oops. He did go to his “partners in crime.” Reliable sources stated that USACA Executive board members Krish Prasad, Tony Gilkes, Ahmed Jeddy, and Secretary John Aaron, the apparent crusaders on the board that are fighting for the stakeholders of American cricket. They were kept in the dark, because Dainty was not sure he could get them to be his “Yes” men, like Charlie Javed, Masood Syed and Shelton Glasgow, and now Treasurer Thickett.
Evidently Dainty and his #$@* kissers appointed two candidates, Ram Varadarajan and Dr. Asif Ahmad, both from California to sit on the CHA board. The other two (2)! Silly! Of course are the masterminds behind the coup, Dainty and Thickett. Is this representative of cricket in America? Wouldn’t you want diversity of ideas on the CHA board? But I suppose the conspirators had a method to their madness!
In early early April President Dainty called a meeting (teleconference) of the depleted USACA Board of Directors. The full board is comprised of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, and a Representative from each of the regions. The 1st Vice President had already resigned, the 2nd Vice President had accepted the paid position of General Manager of USACA, and the West Coast had not yet voted in any Representatives. So available for the meeting were nine (9) board members: Dainty, Thickett, Aaron, Gilkes, Jeddy, Prasad, Masood, Charlie, and Glasgow. The main purpose for the meeting was to “push through” the four (4) candidates for the CHA, LLC jobs. Again, no resumes were requested, none were tendered.
Dainty and his group calculated that they had the majority of the votes to sit their candidates. This was their modus operandi. A motion would be made (by one in the clique) nominating the four (4) as candidates to fill the LLC seats. This will be seconded (by yet another member in the clique). Once the motion was called and the voting took place, the results would bound to show four (4) In Favor (Thickett, Charlie, Masood, Glasgow), and four (4) dissenting (Prasad, Gilkes, Aaron, Jeddy). No problem for the conspirators. The president has a casting vote, in the event of a tie when voting on any motion. If there is a tie the president casts the deciding vote. So in this case Dainty would cast the deciding vote thereby electing the four (4) candidates to the LLC board. All were carefully planned out by the stealthy plotters.
Sources said that at the teleconference, discussions started on the candidates. Of course Dainty and his group heaped laurels on the two (2) candidates, Varadarajan and Ahmad. Dainty and Thickett took it for granted that their candidacies were written in stone. A done deal. To their surprise one of their own, Charlie, raised some objections with regards to Ram Varadarajan. Dainty and the remainder of his cronies were taken aback. What’s the matter with that turncoat, Charlie? Dainty realized that he would not get the “tied vote” because Charlie would not vote in favor of the motion. To compound matters, John Aaron raised some questions concerning Dr. Asif Ahmad. Dainty, now cornered, called off the vote.
However, the scheming continued. Plan “B” was for Dainty’s stooges to call Charlie and convince him to go along with the Varadarajan candidacy. What would they offer Charlie to convince him? How would they convince him, was privy only to them? On his own behalf, Dr. Ahmad called John Aaron to “apologize” for the “wrongs” that he had done Aaron sometime ago. Was that his real motive? Did he have to apologize over and over again in that one conversation although his apology was accepted two of three times? You figure out the motive for Dr. Ahmad’s call to John Aaron.
Once Dainty was convinced that Charlie was “bought” (once again) and that he was going to “sell his soul” to Dainty by voting “YES” on Dainty’s candidates for the LLC board, a second meeting (teleconference) of the USACA board was called. For some reason or the other four (4) members of the board were not available for the meeting. Maybe they got a hint of what the plotters were about to perpetrate on the cricket fans of America. The meeting could not be constitutionally held on account of there being no quorum.
To cover up his (their) tracks Dainty called for resumes from the prospective candidates. However, this solicitation was not made to the general public. He requested resumes only from Varadarajan and Ahmad. Shouldn’t he have requested resumes from the other candidates also; himself and Thickett? There were objections to this method but they fell on deaf ears. What’s new, anyway?
The President of USACA called a third meeting (teleconference) in April. This time around he was assured that he will get his way. (As he usually does with his “yes men” around him). All members of the USACA board were available for this meeting. Once the meeting was called to order and the roll call determined that there was a quorum, discussions centered immediately on the candidates for the LLC positions. Dainty, Thickett, Charlie, Masood, and Glasgow were full of “praise” for Varadarajan and Ahmad – What assets they are to USA cricket and how they will help to pave the way for our cricket successes? I guess that these guys thought that candidates Dainty and Thickett were destined to be elected, so no one even bothered to talk about their credentials.
The four outspoken USACA board members, Prasad, Aaron, Jeddy, and Gilkes, who would always have the respect of the cricket fraternity in this country, questioned the credentials of Varadarajan and Ahmad, and offered alternate candidates for consideration. Further they wanted to know the reason why Dainty and Thickett were not required to submit their resumes. They persisted to demand that the proper protocol be followed. Then, according to my sources, the flood gates opened. Not for the giving of information. Not for assurances and logistics, but for a series of, how do we say it in the ole’ country, “coolie girl.” A series of uncalled-for and undeserved curses and insults from the mouth of the president of USACA directed at the four (4) board members who were not willing to “kiss Dainty’s a$$. Instead, my sources tell me; vulgarity and profanity spilled from the mouth of the President of the United States of America Cricket Association, and was directed at his four fellow board members, Prasad, Jeddy, Aaron and Gilkes. What high-class deportment by the head of a national organization and total efficiency in management? Ha! Ha!
After all was said and done Ram Varadarajan, Dr. Asif Ahmad, Gladstone Dainty and John Thickett were elected Directors on the Board of the Cricket Holdings of America, LLC.
Where do we go from here? Dainty, Thickett, and their slimy cheats go to the bank while cricket in America and its stakeholders go further into obscurity.
Let me end with two quotes: Dainty’s: “…in the past USACA had not been able to communicate well…..now we want to give everyone a chance to have their say.” What a hypocrite! He wants everyone to have his say, yet when directors Prasad, Aaron, Gilkes and Jeddy, representing their respective regions and office on the USACA board, said that all prospective candidates should be required to submit a resume, they were abused verbally by the president of USACA.
Thickett: “I was told a long time ago by one of my bosses that ‘without money nothing happens’. Now we should soon have some money to make things happen.” Do you suppose he is directing his last sentence to his cronies? Hmmm!!! Think about it!
The views expressed here are those of the contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of www.newyorkcricket.com