Visa problems keep Willians from cricket camp

West Indies coach David Williams has been missing from the cricket camp in Barbados because he sent his passport to Jamaica to get a visa to travel to South Africa for the International Cricket Council’s Champions Trophy.
A source close to the situation said the immigration department in T&T is very upset with reports which suggested the West Indies coach had difficulties getting his passport. “That is not true, Williams got his passport in one day.” Derek Ali, legal consultant to the WICB, told a WICB news conference on Tuesday, Williams was encountering problems and blamed the T&T authorities for the delay.

Ali said: “In T&T at the moment, we are switching from the old passports to the new digital, machine-readable passports. The administrative bureaucracy in immigration is out of this world. They are taking anywhere from three to six months to get an appointment to secure the passport.” Ali disclosed that Williams visited the T&T Immigration Department for further assistance, but he was told there was a backlog of requests. However, the source dismissed Ali’s statement and noted Williams was already in possession of his passport. “As a matter of fact, David got his passport last Tuesday. His problem was with the West Indies Cricket Board’s which refused to pay for his trip to Jamaica to obtain a visa to travel to South Africa. He was told by the WICB to either fly to Jamaica and get his visa in one day or Fedex his passport and it would a few days.”

Williams was prepared to travel to Jamaica but according to the source, he was told he would have to pay for his airline ticket to Jamaica. “Williams told them this was unfair and he was not willing to spend his money since it was West Indies business he was going on.” Last Wednesday, he sent his passport via Fedex and he is still awaiting its return. “That is why he is not with the team in Barbados,” the source revealed. Training sessions have been conducted by local coaches Henderson Springer, a former West Indies assistant coach, Roddy Estwick, the former Barbados fast bowler, and Wendell Coppin, the West Indies Cricket Board’s development officer for Barbados.

Vinode Mamchan
Trinidad Guardian