PCA Respond To Dispute Between Kevin Pietersen And Nottinghamshire CCC – 16/01/2004

PCA Respond To Dispute Between Kevin Pietersen And Nottinghamshire CCC – 16/01/2004 The PCA are aware of the dispute between Kevin Pietersen and Nottinghamshire CCC that has been made public today. We have been talking to all parties involved for some time now and it is extremely regrettable that a matter that should have been kept private and resolved within the game has now been exposed to public scrutiny. This adds unnecessary pressure on all sides. The PCA have been firm and outspoken on the principle of sanctity of contract and we believe, as a matter of important principle, that all parties to a cricket contract, both the player and the County, should abide by what they have freely agreed. However, we also recognise that, from time to time, relationships go wrong and, where this involves our members we will always try and help resolve the problems. We cannot comment on the legal strength of either sides’ arguments in this dispute, but, regardless of that, it is clearly not in anyone’s interests for a County to have an unhappy squad or a disgruntled player in their midst and, in the best interests of our members and the game of cricket, we must all work together to ensure an equitable outcome. In this context, perhaps it is time for the game’s stakeholders to raise the issue of a transfer system for debate. We will talk to the ECB and the Counties about this in the near future, but in the meantime our stance is unaltered – a County and a player must abide by their contract. If either is in breach, they should have to abide by the consequences of that. No amount of public exposure of a dispute will alter that – either the parties will reach a compromise or a court will decide the issue for them. The PCA is not in favour of court action, but that is a decision for Nottinghamshire CCC, Kevin Pietersen and their respective legal advisors. Richard Bevan Chief Executive Professional Cricketers Association