Preparations for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies are on track, according to the chief executive of the company planning the event.

Chris Dehring, head of Windies World Cup 2007 Inc, was responding to criticisms from the former president of the West Indies board Pat Rousseau.

"I'm not concerned about the timing because we're on track. At this point, I have a very good idea of where we're going, having done three or four months of consultation," said Dehring.

Rousseau had claimed the West Indies could lose the tournament because of poor playing facilities.

He declared that only Grenada has the facilities to host World Cup matches and that customs and immigration checks in each country could affect the logistics of hosting the event.

Report in March

"I have held more meetings than I can count with contractors, corporate event managers, logistics experts and communication companies prior to preparing a master plan for the tournament," Dehring said.

"I'm aiming to present it to the (WICB's) interim World Cup committee for discussion by the end of March."

"We're going to have to put in place a structure that suits our own particular circumstances."

However Dehring cautioned against "general apathy" and acknowledged it was crucial that the WICB and relevant governments realise the urgency of the situation with the biggest single sporting event ever staged in the Caribbean now only five years away.

"I spoke to Pat a few days ago and I'm sure his comments were meant to be taken in that light," he said.

"He knows that, right now, there's a lot of background work, a lot of preparatory work being done."