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Government to consider Zimbabwe ban
Neil Gardner and Agencies, The Times (SA)
March 04, 2008

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article3481284.ece

The Government is considering banning sports people from Zimbabwe from competing in Britain. The BBC's Inside Sport programme reports the option is being discussed to stop Zimbabwe's cricket team from touring England next year. Downing Street sources suggest Prime Minister Gordon Brown is keen to take a tough stance against President Robert Mugabe. It is not clear if such a move could also have a knock-on effect on other sports figures from Zimbabwe, such as Benjani Mwaruwari, the Manchester City footballer, or golfer Nick Price. It would also prevent Cara Black from defending her women's doubles title at Wimbledon and Kirsty Coventry, the Olympic swimming champion, would not be able to enter the UK. There could also be repercussions for England's World Cup bid for 2018 and for Zimbabwe's competitors at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. The London Olympics in 2012 would not be affected because the Government has signed the host city contract that guarantees entry into the country for anybody with International Olympic Committee (IOC) accreditation.

A compromise could be only to stop Zimbabwe's cricketers from coming to the UK, although this would not please the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC). Currently, the Zimbabweans are due to play two five-day and three one-day internationals next summer. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would have to pay an estimated £225,000 in compensation under ICC rules if the one-day matches are cancelled. Cricket chiefs have warned that England could lose the rights to host the 2009 World Twenty20 if Zimbabwe are banned. The ICC has so far refused to ban Zimbabwe despite numerous protests during matches involving the country. The ECB has already held talks with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) to try and reach a financial settlement to call off the tour. There would be no penalty for scrapping the five-day games as Zimbabwe is no longer classed as a Test-playing nation.

A spokesman for the Department of Culture Media and Sport said: "There are ongoing discussions between the government and the England and Wales Cricket Board, but no decisions have been made." An ECB spokesman said the board would not comment until it had discussed the matter with government officials. Tony Blair's government stopped short of banning England's cricketers from touring Zimbabwe, although authorities in Australia and New Zealand have done so with their sides. Henry Olonga, the former Zimbabwean cricketer, who protested against Mugabe at the 2003 Cricket World Cup, said he welcomed the renewed attention given to the issue. "It's great to see that Gordon Brown is taking a much stronger stance than his predecessor," he said. "Zimbabwe's in a desperate position, 100,000 per cent inflation, there's poverty across the whole country, so it's a deperate, desperate situation."

Michael Vaughan, the England cricket captain, was in the dark over developments, saying: "We're here playing New Zealand and we're completely committed to playing this series. I haven't heard anything about Zimbabwe and we're focused on this series but if it does come up in the next few weeks we'll have a better answer for you." The government will want to wait until after the elections in Zimbabwe at the end of March before making a decision. Last month Foreign Secretary David Miliband said a Zimbabwean tour of England would not send out "the right message". "The situation in Zimbabwe is obviously deeply concerning. I think that bilateral cricket tours at the moment don't send the right message about our concern," he said. It has been reported in the past that Mr Brown wants to ban the tour in protest at Mugabe's dictatorial policies and human rights abuses.

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