The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Symonds subjected to racial abuse

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Saturday, Oct 13, 2007
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Symonds subjected to racial abuse

— Photo: AP

Andrew Symonds.

Melbourne: All-rounder Andrew Symonds was racially abused by a section of the crowd during Australia’s fifth cricket ODI against India in Vadodara, the media reported here on Friday.

The Australian media quoted team officials, saying the crowd booed and abused Symonds with “monkey chants” while he was fielding near the boundary line during the Indian innings.

The incident was widely reported in the Australian newspapers which projected it as “Australian cricket team’s continued suffering from ugly treatment at the hands of its Indian hosts.”

“The only black member of the national side was taunted with monkey noises from the crowd as he fielded during the latter stages of India’s innings at the Reliance Ground,” according to The Age.

Behaviour condemned

A Cricket Australia official confirmed the racist taunts were directed at the all-rounder.

“The matter will be left in the hands of the local authorities,” a CA official confirmed.

The Australian cricket team was trying to respect Symonds’ wish not to make a big deal out of the incident, it said.

The Indian camp condemned the behaviour of the fans. “This should not happen but the problem is trying to control the crowds and in some areas there can be some trouble,” team manager Lalchand Rajput was quoted as saying.

An ICC spokesman from Dubai said the body treated ‘racial abuse’ very seriously. “We have not received any complaints about this but in general terms we have a no tolerance policy to racism and a very strict anti-racism code,” a spokesman said from Dubai.

The Sydney Morning Herald said, “An unspecified number of spectators taunted Symonds with the monkey noises,” and equated it with abuses “which have been the scourge of European soccer for years.” The report also claimed that the crowd “pelted the playing surface with bottles as Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting, closed in on a nine-wicket victory.”

Charges denied

Both police and the Baroda Cricket Association have vehemently denied that Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was racially abused during the fifth one-day international against India. Vadodara Police Commissioner PC Thakur told PTI that the crowd occasionally chanted “Ganapatibappa Moriya”, which might have led to the confusion. — PTI

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