In some ways, you have to give credit to Allen Stanford. The man does not do things in half measures. In fact, in all the time he’s been in the public eye, he hasn’t exactly diluted his personality or his actions. First, there was the $1 million per person for the winner of his inaugural 20/20 match, a prize total which dwarfed anything which had previously existed in cricket.
This went hand in hand with lavish promises for the future, a return to the glory days of West Indian cricket, and generally the announcement that Jesus had returned in the form of a brash, American billionaire. And somehow he still found time to court controversy by flirting with the players’ wives during photoshoots. The man is truly a force of nature.
After announcing that he was getting into bed with ECB there then came the recent revelations about his financial misdemeanours. This time, Stanford really excelled himself.
Not even by his standards was it a small time deception. Fraud to the tune of $9.2 billion is what he has been accused of, causing panic and mass queues outside many of his banks.
Not satisfied with massive financial controversy, it now seems as if he was planning on committing bigamy with his English lover. The only thing that could have made this story better is if there had been an OJ Simpson style car chase between Stanford and the FBI, as they attempted to catch the elusive billionaire.
While this all may read like a script for a bad TV show, the departure of Stanford from the cricketing scene, and especially the manner in which he left, has caused widespread ripples of discontent. It raises serious questions about the future of the sport. There have cries for the head of Giles Clark, chairman of the ECB, but with his recent re-election it doesn’t seem like heads will roll. The man is good at making money, which is why the counties keep voting for him. Some counties however, have already raised issues over the Stanford money which they have already been paid, claiming they’re tainted in some way.
Other direct losers from this affair are the West Indies Cricket Board, who by all accounts are still owed their $3.5 million from the first Stanford 20/20 match. Perhaps the most comical people to suffer from the fallout of these allegations are Chanderpaul, Sarwan, Mohammed, Pollard and Joseph, all of who reinvested their $1 million winnings with the now disgraced banker. Seemingly everyone was taken in by the amusing moustache and the bottomless wallet. Now Stanford has been exposed are something other than the second coming with a chequebook, the holes are starting to be seen. One of the more amusing is the truth about his international unveiling; the plane he used to arrive on the pitch at Lord’s in was hired and flew him in from Battersea, and the alledgedly £2 million in cash he was pictured with is now thought to be nearer the $100,000 mark.
However, as ridiculous as the whole episode seems, it is far too easy to ignore the fact that the past few months have highlighted a worrying trend in world cricket. West Indies cricket has been suffering for some time, with youngsters moving towards basketball. The arrival of Stanford was seen as a godsend, as a way for funding in the area to finally receive a boost.
With their benefactor now gone, the Windies will be frantically looking for someone to replace him. It remains to be seen whether anyone will present themselves, with people unlikely to want to be associated with following in the now infamous footsteps of Stanford.
The ECB meanwhile, have come out of the whole affair looking pointedly stupid. After conducting 10 days due diligence on the finances of Stanford, they still allied themselves to him; or more accurately, his ill-gotten money. Whilst this may simply be an oversight by the ECB and their advisors, the desperation for cash is a damning indictment of the state of the game. Organising bodies are compromising their principles in attempt to get a part of the pie, with no end in sight.
While he may end up a footnote in the history of the game, those in the game would do well to heed the lesson of Stanford, if for no other reason than not to fall into the same trap.
