Outgoing JCA CEO defies board, shows up for work after May 1 deadline

Trouble continues to brew at the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA)  as the saga intensifies between outgoing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Courtney Francis and the JCA hierarchy.

Even after being declared redundant and instructed to stay away from the office starting May 1, Francis has continued showing up for work.

Most recently (yesterday) when Francis arrived at Sabina Park, the location of the JCA, he was told by the security on duty that he was instructed not to let anyone park inside the facility.

It was revealed that Francis sat inside his car outside the venue for some time before leaving.

The stunning standoff follows the JCA Board’s explosive decision to eliminate the CEO position effective June 30, ending Francis’s two-decade reign as one of the organisation’s longest-serving administrators.

But with two months still left on the clock, Francis appears unwilling to go quietly.

According to a JCA director who spoke on condition of anonymity, the bBoard told Francis that he was not required to report for duty as of May 1. Yet he has continued to turn up.

“He came in on Thursday and was informed by security that no one was allowed to park inside the facility,” the director confirmed, pushing back against media reports suggesting that armed guards had been posted at the ground. “There are no armed guards at the facility as was reported. That is simply not true.”

In an internal farewell message last week, Francis broke the news of his own redundancy himself, stating that the bBoard had made the difficult call to restructure the top role in response to the association’s “current financial state..”

Now, with the situation growing increasingly tense, the director has revealed new details about Francis’s exit package.

The veteran administrator will receive his full redundancy payment, inclusive of vacation pay, but the sum will be delivered in three separate tranches. No figure has been publicly disclosed.

Meanwhile, it is understood that day-to-day operations at the embattled association will fall to Finance and Admin Manager Andray Ellis, with support from Cricket Operations Manager Oniel Cruickshank.

 Both will be tasked with steadying the ship after a leadership upheaval that has sent shockwaves through local sports circles.

Francis's abrupt removal and his refusal to leave before the official end date have sharpened the questions looming over Sabina Park.

Is the elimination of the CEO role a temporary survival tactic or the beginning of a permanent new structure?