Should Australia play in Zimbabwe in the world cup?

[jim boy]

With the upcoming world cup, Australia are due to play in Bulawayo against Zimbabwe. However the Zimbabwean government stand accused of serious human rights abuses. Should Australia boycott the match?

It would be bitterly disappointing to see the world cup disrupted, but as the apartheid era showed, you sometimes have to carry these burdens when you're representing your country.

 

[larrikin]

Hard to say - but where do you draw the line? The current Pakastani government got in by a military coup, ousting a democratically elected government. Do we boycott them too?

 

[DaveW]

Although I think what the Mugabe regime has got away with is disgusting... If its safe to play there then play there. Boycotts on safety issues are fine, but on political issues it stinks, leave the politics to the politicians.

Also, we don't want to gift Zimbabwe a spot in the super six with forfeits!

 

[Great_Unknown]

Australia should definately go to Zimbabwe because the aparthied movement ruined SA and Aus representative cricket for over a decade... besides it could be a blow to Zimbabwe's already dwindling economy if high profile matches are withdrawn from the country. Boycotting matches would only serve for the region to take a further step backwards in relations with other commonwealth nations. The Australian players should play there for the progress of the game in Zimbabwe.

 

[Bomber Spirit]

Only if it's safe to go there.

 

[Joe Mama]

The World Cup administators, and the nations drawn to play Zimbabwe at either Harare or Bulawayo have three options, they can either:
1) Go ahead with the sceduled games as planned.

2.) Boycott the matches played there as a protest against the Mugabe Government and the points given on forfiet to the Zimbabweans.

3) move the games to a neutral venue either in Namibia or in South Africa.

My personal opinon about this is that the Federal Government should have the final call, and if there is a real and severe security risk to the players, media and Australian tour groups in Zimbabwe, then any games played there should be cancelled, but for that reason only, and not to use the World Cup as a weapon to get back at the Mugabe Government.

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by Wayde Petersen

3) move the games to a neutral venue either in Namibia or in South Africa.

Errr... Namibia?! If Namibia themselves can't get any of their matches staged there (like Zimbabwe and Kenya), I highly doubt they will stage any neutral matches there.

 

[Joe Mama]

Originally posted by DaveW
Errr... Namibia?! If Namibia themselves can't get any of their matches staged there (like Zimbabwe and Kenya), I highly doubt they will stage any neutral matches there.

Personally, I think that it was a tremendous over-sight on behalf of the World Cup Organisers, because so what if their grounds aren't like bowling greens or thier media facilities aren't up to 5 Star Standard, that's hardly the point, international cricket needs nations like Namibia to improve in standards, and one of the best ways you can do that is to expose them to some high class cricket.

The same argument is also true of the many areas where cricket is strong amoungst the Coloured/Indian/Black African sections of the South African community, (there's a good article about this in this month's "Inside Sport" about this very issue), this is a great opputunity to spread the gospel, but it looks like the South Africans are just preaching to the converted.

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by Wayde Petersen
Personally, I think that it was a tremendous over-sight on behalf of the World Cup Organisers, because so what if their grounds aren't like bowling greens or thier media facilities aren't up to 5 Star Standard, that's hardly the point, international cricket needs nations like Namibia to improve in standards, and one of the best ways you can do that is to expose them to some high class cricket.

The same argument is also true of the many areas where cricket is strong amoungst the Coloured/Indian/Black African sections of the South African community, (there's a good article about this in this month's "Inside Sport" about this very issue), this is a great opputunity to spread the gospel, but it looks like the South Africans are just preaching to the converted.

I agree completely. Namibia qualified for the world cup mid-way through 2001, that was more than ample time to get one of their venues up to scratch.

I can't understand why Nambia and Kenya weren't given five matches in their home country, instead of their zero and two respectively. (Namibia could've played all their group matches bar the one against Zimbabwe at home, ditto Kenya every match except the one against South Africa)

Scotland only played a couple of world cup matches in Scotland in 1999, which was also bemusing.

My point was simply that if they weren't ready to allow for matches in Namibia 18 months ago, they certainly won't be at this late stage.

 

[DaveW]

Just promoting this topic back up the list, as it seems to be the big story at the moment.

When Australia boycotted Zimbabwe earlier this year I bought the excuse that it was on the grounds of safety. Thankfully, there are no safety issues at the minute. So it really annoys me that the Australian and English leaders are using cricket as a political, vote-grabbing exercise. Protest against Mugabe by all means, but there are surely better ways to do it than by ruining a fine sporting event.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Originally posted by DaveW
Just promoting this topic back up the list, as it seems to be the big story at the moment.

When Australia boycotted Zimbabwe earlier this year I bought the excuse that it was on the grounds of safety. Thankfully, there are no safety issues at the minute. So it really annoys me that the Australian and English leaders are using cricket as a political, vote-grabbing exercise. Protest against Mugabe by all means, but there are surely better ways to do it than by ruining a fine sporting event.

Yeah, I agree. The Australians should only boycott the game if it is unsafe to play in Zimbabwe - otherwise we should play (particularly given we pulled out of the Test series due to safety concerns).

 

[jim boy]

Originally posted by Kane McGoodwin
Yeah, I agree. The Australians should only boycott the game if it is unsafe to play in Zimbabwe - otherwise we should play (particularly given we pulled out of the Test series due to safety concerns).

I'm not so sure that I agree that you can keep sport and politics so seperated. After all, our national team play in our name, they represent us, they represent you and they represent me. When they do well we bask in their glory. And when they perform poorly, we share in there shame. It's not just a collection of blokes with similar interests getting together to pursue those interests. When we play somehere, we effectively recognise that our opposition are worthy. Is Zimbabwe, as a nation, worthy?

It's a little different from the apartheid era. Then the opposition cricketers were the oppressors, with the Zimbabweans, they are more likely to be the oppressed.

 

[Navy Master]

If its safe to pley there, play there... As DaveW, leave politics to politicians

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by Jim Boy
It's a little different from the apartheid era. Then the opposition cricketers were the oppressors, with the Zimbabweans, they are more likely to be the oppressed.

Not sure where you're coming from here. Surely you're not saying that this makes them less worthy opponents than the old South Africa?

The Zimbabwean government needs to held accountable for their attrocities, but I don't see how boycotting a cricket match or two goes any way to achieving this. All it does is stifle the development of cricket in that country, which I doubt is of much concern to Mugabe.

Fact is, Blair and Howard aren't doing enough to help out the oppressed Zimbabweans, so they're using sport as a weak alternative solution.

 

[jim boy]

Originally posted by DaveW
Not sure where you're coming from here. Surely you're not saying that this makes them less worthy opponents than the old South Africa?

The point I was making is that under apartheid, the people that played cricket benefitted generally under the regime (even though you could argue that the SACU opposed apartheid) while in Zimbabwe the cricketers are feeling a little less secure.

Anyway have a read of the following article frm todays age

Zimbabwe cricketers fear speaking out
December 31 2002
By Tim Butcher
London

Two years of worsening political violence in Zimbabwe are believed to have left most of its international cricketers supporting a ban on World Cup matches being played in their home country.

But none has dared voice dissent publicly for fear of reprisals against family or friends.

At stake is not just the match fee paid to the cricketers. Many have seen family and friends murdered during the crisis and the team has often taken to the field wearing black armbands.

Speaking in August on the condition he would not be named, a senior Zimbabwean cricketer said that perhaps it was best for Harare and Bulawayo to be removed from the list of next year's World Cup venues.

"Some of us believe, as happened during apartheid, that there can be no normal sport in an abnormal society, and that World Cup matches should not be played in Zimbabwe next year," he said.

"The guys are under incredible pressure. President Mugabe is their patron. If any of them were to speak out, they'd be breaking the terms of their contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. They would also place their families, who are mostly farmers, in even more danger.

They all need the salaries they earn as national cricketers, especially now. But some of them have thought of walking out in protest at what is happening on the farms."

No sooner had fast bowler Heath Streak been appointed as captain of Zimbabwe's World Cup team this year than he was wondering if he would be arrested by the authorities for "daring" to visit his family farm near Bulawayo. His father, Dennis, was detained by the police for defying a government deadline for white farmers to vacate their land, and his son did not know if he would be picked up.

"I am proud to be a Zimbabwean and to play for my country - it is my home - but it is very hard for us," he said.

"We wore black armbands in India and Pakistan after a farmer who was a friend of one of the team was killed in 2000. We wore them in Britain earlier this year when another farmer, Terry Ford, was killed."

Last month, Mr Mugabe's government imposed a tough new visa regime on Britons. This could make life more difficult for English fans planning to attend the February 13 World Cup match involving England in Harare. A more serious consideration is the fuel crisis that has left the Zimbabwe Government unable to pay bills to petrol and diesel suppliers. Visitors may experience huge logistical problems as a result

 

[GoEagles]

I haven't heard any recent reports that it's unsafe to play cricket in Zimbabwe, so I think that Australia should commit to the World Cup schedule and play their allocated games in Zimbabwe.

Hate for politics to ruin sporting events (Moscow 1980 Olympics) and if Australia backs out again we'll be tagged as the Boycotters, after Sri Lanka in 1996.