HEAD OF SALES SPONSOR CSA SACKED

Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Sunday that they have sacked Clive EK-STEEN, their head of sales and sponsor relations. In October EK-STEEN was among the first of what became, by December, seven suspended senior staff members.

A release said “a lengthy disciplinary process” ended with the presiding officer finding EK-STEEN, a left-arm spinner who played seven Tests and six One Day Internationals between November 1991 and February 2000, “guilty of transgressions of a serious nature and his relationship and employment with CSA has therefore been summarily terminated (summary dismissal) with immediate effect”.

On 30th October, Cricket South Africa said they had suspended EK-STEEN, then interim director of cricket Corrie van Zyl and chief operating officer NAA-SEI Appiah after the organisation had “recently become aware of an unfortunate situation involving players and player contracts, through player intermediary the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) in which speculation and indeed allegations of dereliction were levelled against CSA, following alleged non-payment of player fees, stemming from the Mzansi Super League (MSL) arrangement, in 2018”.

That followed SACA lodging a formal dispute against CSA because they had failed to pay the players the agreed amount of US$160, 000, at the prevailing exchange rate, for the use of their commercial rights during the previous year’s MSL. The bill was settled only 10 days before the start of the 2019 edition of the tournament.

Veterans of South African cricket’s struggles with CSA won’t believe that until they see it.