South Africa not to pursue racist incident involving Morkel in Hobart
South Africa not to pursue racist incident involving Morkel in Hobart
The touring South African cricket team will not pursue the racist incident in which a spectator was charged by police for using abusive language to their player Morne Morkel in last Sunday's one-day match in Hobart.
The decision is in keeping with the cordial spirit in which the present series is being played, as contrasted with the acrimonious one Down Under in 2006, which was marred by a series of ugly incidents.
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LET BYGONES BE BYGONES: Australian supporters hold a placard saying they are not racist following South Africa's complaint of being racially abused by Aussie fans during their 2006 tour. A similar incident came to light during the second ODI last Sunday but the South Africans have decided not to pursue the matter. PIC/AFP |
ICC inquiryThe International Cricket Council (ICC) then held an inquiry, headed by Indian Solicitor General Goolam Vahanvati, into racial slurs against South African players Makhaya Ntini, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince and Garnett Kruger during the Test match at Perth.
It was alleged at the time that some spectators taunted the Proteas with calls of "kaffir" and "kaffir boette", an offensive Afrikaner term for blacks, coloureds and their sympathisers.
The Vahanvati inquiry led to the adoption of stringent anti-racism procedures by the ICC, the most notable being the ban on Herschelle Gibbs for Two Tests in 2007 after a stump microphone caught him calling Pakistani spectators a "bunch of animals" and telling them to "go back to the zoo".
In last Sunday's incident, a fan allegedly called 12th man Morne Morkel "kaffir", but the fielder said he was not sure the offensive word was used.
A spokesman for the South African team said the remark was "fairly unpleasant". A policeman at the ground said he overheard the abuse and interviewed the alleged culprit, who was charged with racial vilification.
Last Friday's incident was one among many incidents of under-age drinking for which fans were evicted from the MCG.
Cricket Australia said it had contacted the South African team over the issue and again threatened venues that they would not be allowed to host international matches if crowds misbehave.
Denouncing the behaviour of drunken young fans, Victoria's acting police superintendent said he was "concerned that a significant number of young people are attending the cricket with the sole intention of consuming as much alcohol as they can."
"We will continue to issue on-the-spot fines and penalise those whose only aim appears to be disrupting the day for others."
Lot of improvement
The South Africans said there was no cause for concern and that relations between the two bitter rivals had improved much since 2006, when a young Graeme Smith first led the side in Australia.
"I must say, compared to three years ago, it's been amazing being in Australia and the way we've been treated by the crowds," Mohammad Moosajee, manager of the South African team, said.
