Wednesday, 19 September 2001 |
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Corruption in cricket has been suppressed, says Condon JOHANNESBURG, Tuesday (AFP) - Cricket corruption buster Paul Condon declared Monday that he was confident the World Cup due to be held in South Africa in 2003 would be "the best and cleanest there has been". Lord Condon told a press conference in Johannesburg, where South African cricket officials unveiled a security plan for the tournament, that his anti-corruption unit had cracked graft in cricket. "I'm confident that at the moment we are on top of it. The words I've used around the world is that 'matchfixing has been suppressed'," Condon said. He said a full report on the progress made would be submitted to an International Cricket Council executive board meeting in October. Condon was appointed in June last year to probe corruption in the sport following the revelation by disgraced South African captain Hansie Cronje - who was subsequently banned for life - that he had taken money from bookmakers. "If there are people out there who think they are going to target the World Cup, they better think again, because there will be a great deal of information-sharing about them," Condon said. "I'm absolutely confident that the World Cup in South Africa will be the best and cleanest there has been. We're all determined to do that." He said preventive measures could include the circulation of a list of bookmakers known to be involved in unlawful betting, as well as tight security, including the limited use of cellular phones around players. Tournament executive director Ali Bacher said various aspects of security would be looked at, including ways of preventing pitch invasions, as at Headingley in England in June. During that test, Pakistani fans swamped the field and England conceded victory to prevent further chaos. Bacher said Australian cricket officials last week visited South Africa ahead of their planned tour in February and March next year and one of their main concerns was pitch invasions. He said he had given a clear indication that not only the Australian tour, but also the 2003 World Cup would be invasion-free. "We do not want one occasion where this will happen, and we are confident that we would achieve that objective," Bacher said. Asked about security when traditional rivals like India and Pakistan would play against each other, Bacher said: "They are in the same group. We are likely to stage a match like that at a ground where the security is excellent." |
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