The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Vahanvati to probe racial abuse charge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Vahanvati to probe racial abuse charge

Principal Correspondent

KOCHI: India's Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati, who has been appointed by the International Cricket Council to investigate the charges from South Africa that its cricketers had been racially abused by crowd in Australia during a recent series, feels that the problem could have a bigger base.

"The problem seems to be there in all sports," Mr. Vahanvati told The Hindu at the Taj Residency here on Tuesday evening.

Mr. Vahanvati, who is now in Kochi for a case, will leave for Australia after February 15 and then to South Africa in March on a fact-finding mission. He will then submit his report to the ICC with his recommendations.

But are the South Africans the only victims? Have teams from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan encountered similar problems before?

"There have been no evidence of spectator abuse against these teams," he said.

And what could be the solution?

"I have to first study the issue. I cannot go into an enquiry of any kind with any preconceived notion. I have to ascertain the facts," said Mr. Vahanvati.

However, he is not new to such issues.

Two years ago, he was one of the two men (Steven Majiedt, a sitting judge of the South Africa High Court, was the other) picked by the ICC to investigate allegations of racism in cricket in Zimbabwe.

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