Champions League faces umpire boycott

Both Harper and Tiffin have declined the offer from the CL organisers.

In an email communication on September 8,Taufel wrote to Steve Davis: “It was very important to show the BCCI that we are not a threat to them by compromising on the umpires for CL if we were able to have them recognise us in the future and agree to our contact terms/process,but that if they did not accept this compromise,then to seek the direction of the other umpires and advise them that it would be best to have none of our umpires attend the CL event and let them run their tournament without any of our members.”

Taufel also mentioned “the BCCI not recognising the EUE and umpire representation process,individual umpires being visible in the negotiation process and the ICC management continuing to undermine our agreed process” as their main challenges.

Davis,in his reply to the email — a copy of which was also sent to umpire Billy Doctrove — suggested that the CL organisers had been arbitrary in rejecting the leading umpires.

“Michael (Brown,ICC General Manager) says that no matter what the EUE says or does,the Champs League hierarchy will determine who will umpire their tournament. He says that there have been no reasons conveyed to him as to why our two ‘not accepted’ nominations were not considered — he says it is merely the CL saying who will and won’t be asked.”

Meanwhile,the umpires are likely to approach players’ body FICA to represent their grievances besides writing a letter to Dave Richardson,outlining the problems and asking the ICC to finalise the umpire nominations and contract template/fees acceptance with the CL organisers.