Politics has no place in sport - so boycott the World Cup
Daily Telepgraph
by: David Coltart
The decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on December 19 to allow Zimbabwe to host World Cup matches has aroused fierce debate in Britain. A similar debate has raged within Zimbabwe for several months, and has threatened to split the cricketing fraternity. As a passionate supporter of Zimbabwean cricket, I have agonised over what stance I should take.
There are some compelling arguments why the matches should go ahead. The situation in Zimbabwe is not analogous to that which prevailed during apartheid in South Africa in certain important respects.
Unlike in South Africa, where boycotts of sporting events hurt the people supporting the apartheid regime, namely white spectators and players, the vast majority of Zimbabwean players and supporters detest the Zanu-PF regime just as much, if not more, than Britons.
Robert Mugabe and his cronies do not care much for the game. Aside from losing the political capital they could have made out of the matches, they would not be hurt by a boycott. Paradoxically, holding the matches in Zimbabwe opens up a tiny piece of democratic space for those fighting tyranny.
The mere prospect of the matches and the eventual presence of several hundred reporters, albeit cricket reporters, in Zimbabwe for a very short time, has restrained the human rights excesses of the regime. If no matches take place, there will be no further reason for the regime to behave better.
Against this is the fact that the Zanu-PF regime itself is desperate for the World Cup to be held in Zimbabwe because it is a wonderful opportunity to present to the world a facade of normality without having troublesome journalists in the country too long to scratch beneath the surface.