Faint light at the end of the tunnel for Cronje?
The life ban imposed by the United Cricket Board on former South African captain Hansie Cronje came into full effect on Thursday, November 2
Peter Robinson
02-Nov-2000
The life ban imposed by the United Cricket Board on former South African captain Hansie Cronje came into full effect on Thursday, November 2. According to a statement issued by UCB president Percy Sonn, Cronje is banned from all activities under the control of the South African governing body.
However, in a slight softening of the UCB's position, Sonn said that should Cronje make an effort to rehabilitate himself, the UCB might be prepared to take cognisance of this at some unspecified date in the future.
This is the first indication that should Cronje wish to involve himself, for instance, in coaching and applied for the ban to be lifted, the UCB might be prepared to listen to his case. The wording of the statement, nevertheless, emphasises that Cronje would have to make an effort to show remorse for the actions that led to his banning.
In simple terms, it seems clear that the UCB wants Cronje to make amends for his situation rather than attempt to make money out of it. It is also likely that the UCB would want Cronje to serve at least some period of the ban, perhaps between two to five years, before applying for it to be lifted.
The ban covers all activities which fall under the UCB and its affiliates. It does not extend to activities such as commentating, journalism or the publishing of books, all of which are out of the control of the UCB. However, it is widely know that the subscription television channel SuperSport has expressed an interest in securing the services of Cronje.
SuperSport is also the sponsor of the South African first-class competition and has a direct financial stake in several of the provinces. If SuperSport was to offer Cronje a job within the next year or two, this could lead to a clash between the channel and the UCB.
The release of the Indian Central Bureau for Investigation's report into match-fixing this week added little to the evidence already given by Cronje at the King commission of inquiry in June and is unlikely to have any direct effect on his particular case.
The full text of Sonn's statement reads:
In terms of the evidence presented to the King Commission of Inquiry Hansie Cronje acknowledged accepting money from bookmakers as well as attempting to induce others in his team to underperform.
At the time of those actions, Mr Cronje was the captain of the South African national cricket team - a position of importance and trust. The actions he admitted to cut across the foundation of trust placed in a person in such a position of integrity.
In our opinion, his actions have harmed the good name of cricket in South Africa, not only from the Council's perspective, but also in the eyes of the public.
Accordingly in pursuant to our resolution on October 4 and with immediate effect:
WJ Cronje is banned for life from membership or participation in the UCB, its structures or activities.
We acknowledge that, with effort, people are able to rehabilitate themselves over time and there may be an opportunity for the UCB to take cognisance of this possibility in the future.