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Cricket bosses bury hatchet
15/02/2008 21:03 - (SA)
Johannesburg - After a week of turmoil in South African cricket, Cricket South Africa (CSA) President Norman Arendse and chief executive Gerald Majola officially buried the hatchet on Friday.
The two, on opposite sides of the bitter row over the selection of the Proteas team to tour Bangladesh, issued a joint statement in which, among others, they apologised to the people of South Africa for the row and the way in which it was handled.
They said in the statement: "Cricket is a national treasure, and all who participate in the organisation of cricket, at all levels, are entitled to free and equal access to it.
"In this regard, Cricket South Africa plays a critical role in ensuring that those of our people who were previously (and unjustly) denied access to the sport, must be given every possible opportunity to participate in, and have access to, it."
Expressed regret
The two cricket bosses said CSA, as custodians of the sport in South Africa, had to take full responsibility for not handling the issue in a manner that preserved cricket's integrity and reputation.
"In this regard, the President and the CEO of Cricket South Africa wish to express their deep and sincere regret at the manner in which the issue leading up to the selection of the team to tour Bangladesh, has been handled. In fact, an apology to the entire nation is warranted. We accept responsibility for what happened, and wish to commit ourselves to ensuring that it will never happen again.
They said about transformation policies: "We wish to record that CSA's Transformation Review Committee is in the process of addressing these issues in a comprehensive way involving all stakeholders in the game and have been doing so since December 2007."
Arthur charged
The two leaders acknowledged that mistakes were made in the process of selecting the team and said that finger-pointing would not repair the damage that had been done to cricket.
The row erupted when Arendse twice vetoed the team named by the selectors. Arendse and Proteas coach Mickey Arthur became involved in a slanging match which ended with Arendse laying a charge of "disrespectful and abusive behaviour" against Arthur. He also accused Arthur of not complying with CSA's transformation policy.
The CSA General Council met over the weekend and issued a statement saying that Arthur had been axed as a selector.
Team announced
However, Majola pointed out that selection duties formed part of Arthur's contract and Arthur was reinstated as a selector.
On Monday, the selection committee presented Arendse with their team for the Bangladesh tour and Arendse once again rejected it, saying that Neil McKenzie and Andre Nel should be dropped and replaced by Herschelle Gibbs and Charl Langeveldt, both of whom are "black". However, CSA officially announced the team chosen by the selectors, which included McKenzie and Nel.
- SAPA
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