Dean Jones sacked after 'terrorist' comment
Sacked: Former Australian test player Dean Jones was sacked
from his job as a commentator on Monday after referring to South African
Muslim batsman Hashim Amla as a "terrorist".
Jones, who admitted making the comment and apologised, was on a TV
commentary team covering the second test between Sri Lanka and South
Africa in Colombo.
According to a statement issued by Cricket South Africa on Monday,
viewers heard Jones say, "the terrorist has got another wicket" when
Amla took the catch that dismissed Kumar Sangakkara.
Amla is a devout Muslim who wears a beard for religious reasons and
has successfully negotiated with the South African team's main sponsors,
SA Breweries, not to wear the Castle Lager logo on his playing and
practice gear.
"We take the strongest exception to this comment, and we will lodge
an official complaint with the host broadcaster, Ten Sports, that
employs him," CSA chief executive Gerald Majola was quoted as saying.
"We will be asking for his immediate suspension and a full apology." The
match is being broadcast live in South Africa, which has a significant
Muslim community.
"The switchboards of both CSA and SuperSport, that takes a feed of
the broadcast to South African audiences, have been jammed with calls
from some very angry people," Majola was quoted as saying. "I'm gone,
I'm on the 1 a.m. flight," Jones told reporters in Colombo where he
issued a statement apologising for his comment.
"It was a silly and completely insensitive thing to say and,
obviously, it was never supposed to be heard over the air," Jones said.
"I am truly sorry to have caused offence to anybody and the last
thing I intended was to be disrespectful.
"Everyone needs to get away from perpetuating the myth, publicly and
privately, that beards associated with the Muslim faith are somehow
suspicious, and I intend to do exactly that.
"The irony is that I am great friends with most of the Pakistan team
and they are all Muslims. "I have no end of respect for the Muslim faith
- that's why I'm so sorry at making such a stupid comment. "It does not
represent who I am, how I think or what I believe.
"I will be the first person to apologise to Hashim as soon as I get
the chance, and I will assure him that prejudice against anybody, on any
basis, is unacceptable and not something I will ever condone."
DURBAN, South Africa, Tuesday Reuters |