Only the tip of the iceberg: Condon report

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, MAY 23. The much-awaited report on match-fixing in cricket describes Indian betting industry as ``the engine room which has powered and driven cricket corruption,'' and says that the public knowledge of the extent of corruption is ``only the tip of the iceberg.''

The report by Sir Paul Condon, a former police chief and now head of the International Cricket Council's anti- corruption unit, was put on the Internet today amid widespread concern over the damage match-fixing had done to the credibility of the players, and the trust placed in them by cricket lovers around the world.

There were suggestions - made in the report as well - that cricketers and umpires should be paid more to wean them away from other temptations.

Sir Paul's report, which describes 20 years of corruption linked to betting in international cricket matches, says that ``corrupt practices and deliberate underperformance have permeated all aspects of the game'' and ``justifiably undermined'' its reputation. His investigations, he points out, discovered a ``climate of silence, apathy, ignorance and sometimes fear.'' What was once a gentleman's game has now been infiltrated by criminals who get cricketers to do their bidding, often through intimidation.

Without naming the country or the team, the report says: ``A major criminal had access to an individual team and wielded undue influence over team selection and performance.'' Fear of violence is a ``major weapon'' in the match-fixing racket, it points out describing ``threat to them (players) and their families as a key reason for growth of corruption'' in cricket.

Other factors include a high number of ``meaningless one-day Internationals'' and ``relatively low pay of cricketers.'' The report, however, adds that the ``relatively well paid'' players also get drawn into it out of greed as they see an opportunity to make money.

On the influence of criminals, Sir Paul says he spoke to people who had been threatened and others who alleged ``a murder and a kidnapping linked to cricket corruption.'' The reference is said to be the murder of a Pakistani bookie who was killed in South Africa. The opportunities for match-fixers, he points out, are more easily available in ``neutral venues'' for one-day matches played in a ``relaxed and carnival atmosphere.'' Matches in such places should be avoided, he recommends as their laid-back ambience makes ``improper approaches'' easier.

It began in England

Sir Paul suggests that the seeds of the problem may have been sown in England and the counties in the seventies, and later assumed a more ``insidious and corrosive form.'' He points out that match-fixing in county matches was not motivated by money, but by ``mutual interest'' of the two teams.

``If a match was of vital importance to one team and not to the other, then an accommodation would be reached between the teams as to who would win. Similar arrangements would be made to secure bowling and batting points....,'' he discloses. The presence of overseas players led to the spread of this practice, as a result of which in a number of matches ``the ethic of winning or losing'' was replaced by a ``pragmatic arrangement'' to divide the points ``and or agree in advance who would win.''

The report criticises the ICC and individual cricket boards for not doing enough to nip the problem in the bud, and says that the existing ``corporate arrangements'' are inadequate to deal with it. ``The ICC and individual boards should have done more'', it says.

Its sharp criticism of ICC is seen as a ``proof'' that the report is not a ``whitewash'' job for the cricket establishment. The report is based on extensive investigation and interviews with players, bookmakers and others who had anything to say on the issue.

The former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin and the controversial bookmaker M.K. Gupta were among those interviewed.

While the report concludes that the ``blatant cases and excesses of cricket corruption have been stopped'' it does not rule out individual players still behaving dishonestly. It has refers to allegations that players use performance-enhancing drugs, but says these ``cannot be substantiated.'

Better pay recommended

Its recommendations include higher wages for players and umpires and restricted access to players. It also suggests that the use of mobile phones at cricket venues should be avoided. The call for higher wages has been supported by experts including Mr Stephen Fay, editor of Wisden, who said ``in India and Pakistan wages are very poor so players are more easily tempted.''

Sir Paul started his investigations in June last year after an international furore that followed the former South African captain Hansie Cronje's confession that he had taken bribes to fix matches.

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