World Cup will be clean, says anti-corruption chief
SYDNEY: "Evil" illegal gamblers using the grooming methods of
paedophiles to try and corrupt cricketers have not gone away but the
game's anti-corruption chief Ronnie Flanagan is confident the upcoming
World Cup will be clean.
Match and spot-fixing scandals have dogged cricket over the last few
years but Flanagan said the authorities in host countries Australia and
New Zealand had done everything in their power to ensure the tournament
was free of corruption.
"I think it is important that (fans) can come with confidence knowing
this will be true competition between teams fought out on ability and
perhaps little bit of luck," he told a news conference on Friday."A
tournament that is free of corruption or the threat of corruption."
Flanagan, head of the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption
and Security Unit (ACSU), praised the national and state governments in
host countries for enacting legislation to criminalise manipulating
sporting events.
Education programmes have also been put in place to ensure that every
player at the Feb. 14-March 29 tournament is aware of how the illegal
gamblers try to exert their influence.
"We know there are rotten people out there, criminal people, who will
do all in their power to get at players and others of influence in the
game," Flanagan added.
"They'll trick them, they'll coerce them, they'll try and attract
them, they're almost like paedophiles in how they attempt to groom them
to get them to do whatever suits their nefarious intentions in terms of
illegal betting. We have gone to great lengths in a very multi-faceted
way to ensure they don't get their way." Flanagan said the Australian
and New Zealand lawmakers, police and his unit had already been working
together for two years to prevent any corruption.Education programmes
for players had also borne fruit, he said. "Many of them when we
investigate are innocent approaches but I'm very encouraged that we are
getting more and more of those reports."
Flanagan, formerly Britain's top policeman, also defended his
decision to curtail Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Amir's five-year ban
for spot-fixing seven months before it was due to expire.Amir, who is
restricted to domestic cricket and will not play at the World Cup, had
shown genuine remorse for his part in the deliberate bowling of no-balls
by pre-arrangement during Pakistan's tour of England in 2010, Flanagan
said.
The 22-year-old had also co-operated fully with investigators and his
participation in the education programmes would send a "very powerful
message".Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2015 |
