'Money was not the major issue' - Greg Chappell

Greg Chappell was offered the West Indies coaching job © Getty Images

"There goes Greg again, asking for too much money," said one veteran Australian journalist at the press box in Nagpur when news filtered in that Bennett King had been appointed the coach of the West Indies team ahead of Greg Chappell. While there has been little official comment from either Chappell or the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB), it has been widely assumed that a squabble over money caused the deal to fall through.

But, Chappell has now clarified that this was not quite the whole truth. "What has appeared in the media has not been a true reflection of the facts," Chappell told Wisden Cricinfo. "When the WICB approached me I was honoured and readily agreed to attend an interview in London just prior to the ICC Champions Trophy. In preparation for the interview I put together a document to support my presentation. The information contained in that document was based on my research into all facets of the game, based on my experiences as a player, selector, administrator and coach, and looked specifically at the West Indies situation and how to rebuild the game in the region."

Chappell has been heavily involved in studying coaching over the last few years, and his philosophy, called The ChappellWay, has found favour with teams and individuals around the world. Chappell recently published a book called "The Making of Champions" that deals with his philosophy.

However, it is understood that West Indies were not on the look out for someone to put a system in place that would yield benefits in the long run. They merely wanted someone to step in for Gus Logie, and stop the rot in the national team. "What I presented to the interview panel was a proprietary system based on the research we have done through Chappellway that was based on what we know of West Indian cricket in the past and the present," explained Chappell. "It touched on all aspects of the development process and was aimed at developing coaches as well as players. I believe it is important that each region in world cricket should be self-sufficient and should be able to provide home-grown coaches."

Chappell insists that he told the WICB that he was only interested in this larger role. "I told them at the interview in London that if they were only looking for a coach to replace Gus Logie then I was not the right person, as I did not want that position in isolation from the rest of the development process."

However, the WICB went ahead and offered Chappell the job. When this happened he was all set to make the move, and preparations were under way so he could reach Guyana before the start of the domestic competition. But when it came to discussing the nuts and bolts - especially the money - things fell apart. "It was obvious from discussions and the offer that was made that the Board wanted a quick fix and was only looking for a coach to replace Gus [Logie]. I reiterated that I wasn't interested in the position on that basis, and withdrew from the process. Despite what has been said in the media, money was not the major issue. It was a philosophical difference that caused the breakdown in negotiation."

But, this is not the first time this has happened. When India appointed John Wright as coach, Chappell was a contender. At a meeting at the time, he was interviewed by a panel that included AC Muthiah, the then BCCI president, and Raj Singh Dungarpur. After the meeting, a few members of the Indian board spread the word that Chappell had asked for too much money. Since then, however, it has emerged from reliable sources that an actual figure was not discussed. And so, for the second time now, Chappell has lost a coaching position, and allegations of him wanting too much money have begun to do the rounds.

While it is too late to clarify what went wrong with the Indian board, it is at least clear that in the case of the West Indian board, money did not cost Chappell the job.