Quotes concerning boycotting the cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe

Quotes relating to Henry Olonga and Andy Flower

Quotes concerning boycotting the cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe

"If I was playing for England today I would refuse to go to Zimbabwe. I was brought up in the war, in the days of ration books. How could I play cricket when, just down the road, starving people are queuing up for food? Call it politics if you like but it's really about knowing what is acceptable and what is not acceptable."

Tom Cartwright England cricketer in 1960s & 70s who refused to go to South Africa. Quoted in the Guardian 9th January 2003.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/story/0,10069,871003,00.html


'Ethical issues must be taken into consideration. It would be wrong to hold any World Cup matches here,'

'With a multiracial crowd and teams playing here, are we not painting too rosy a picture of a country that is battling starvation, terrible poverty, corruption, human rights abuses? The matches will give credence to the organisation that is in charge.'

Quotes from an anonymous member of the Zimbabwe cricketing team.
Guardian 5th January 2003
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/story/0,10069,870038,00.html


"Look at that pitch, it has never looked better. That is where we want to watch top- notch international cricket. But if that means the world gets the message that everything is all right in Zimbabwe, then I say no, the matches must not be played in Zimbabwe. You cannot separate politics and sport."

Zimbabwe cricket supporter. Guardian 31st December 2002
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/story/0,10069,866915,00.html

Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, today said Hussain would be "endorsing" Mr Mugabe's regime if he brought his team to the country.

Quoting Tvangarai on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme.


"If the English captain is aware of the situation in Zimbabwe, I don't think he would find it appropriate to come to this country in a situation where everything is collapsing politically, economically and socially,"

Morgan Tvangarai speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today programme 30th December 2002.

"This decision will damage the image of cricket and may come back to haunt the ICC. The MDC is bitterly disappointed with the decision taken by the ICC. By agreeing to stage the world cup in Zimbabwe, despite the humanitarian crisis and unprecedented levels of institutionalised violence, the ICC are sending a callous message to the people of Zimbabwe.
Not only have they demonstrated indifference to the pain and suffering of hundreds of thousands of innocent people they are also, albeit inadvertently, sending a message of hope to the despotic Mugabe regime. Given the situation in Zimbabwe, to suggest that sport and politics must be treated separately is ludicrous; in the current context they are interlinked.
The ICC decision will directly assist Mugabe's efforts to disguise the horrifying reality of the crisis in Zimbabwe. Mugabe will no doubt use this sporting event to accrue political capital, both regionally and internationally"

"We urge all cricketers scheduled to play in Zimbabwe to follow their consciences and refuse to play. If the ICC is unable to protect and defend the image of cricket then it is up to the players themselves to do so. "

Quotes from MDC spokesperson, Paul Themba Nyathi in response to the ICC's decision to play six of the World Cup games in Zimbabwe, 19th December 2002.
http://www.zimbabwehope.co.uk/
(also reported in the Times 20th December 2002)

"A boycott of World Cup matches would send a clear message that the international community will not tolerate Mr Mugabe's illegitimate regime, and would serve to further isolate him … Given that seven million people - half of the population - are on the verge of starvation it is inappropriate that a major international sporting event should be held in the country … Mugabe would use event for political propaganda purposes and seek to convince the world that Zimbabwe operates in accordance with democratic principles. He must not be given this opportunity,"

Welshman Ncube, MDC's Secretary General 10 December 2002. Quoted in Guardian 11 December 2002
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/story/0,10069,857831,00.html

"When I was in Zimbabwe last year I witnessed the starvation, suffering and deprivation of the Zimbabwean people. They are victims of Mugabe's evil regime. The idea of Robert Mugabe parading himself at an international sporting occasion like this, when he is at the same time starving literally millions of his people to death, is absolutely
abhorrent."
Michael Ancram - January 14th

"In a country where there is a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing, electoral fraud, brutality and rape and murder and the organised starvation of literally millions of people, all at the hands of the patron of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, it is hard to see how playing these matches can do other than harm."
Iain Duncan Smith - December 30

Independent - January 6th: Peter Hain told England's cricketers yesterday to "show some moral backbone" and boycott World Cup matches in Zimbabwe rather than hand a "propaganda coup" to Robert Mugabe's regime. Mr Hain told the BBC: "The idea that cricketers or cricket officials are absolved from moral decisions simply seems to me to be wrong. We all have to take moral decisions in the jobs that we do"

Ms Short yesterday went further, branding the decision as "deplorable and shocking." She said: "An election has been stolen and people are being starved because they dared to vote freely. I think they should not go. It is like pretending everything is OK in Zimbabwe, and it is not."
Clare Short, 29 December 2002.

Quotes relating to Henry Olonga and Andy Flower

"At last, a moral stand. But not by England's cricketers. If it's heroes you're after, look no further than the Zimbabweans, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, who put themselves and their families at risk of reprisal yesterday by issuing a statement denouncing their own president, Robert Mugabe, before marching onto a pitch in Harare to face Namibia. The black armbands worn by Flower and Olonga carried all the ethical weight of Jesse Owens winning Olympic gold in front of Hitler…"
Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer, The Daily Telegraph (11 February 2003)

"The wearing of black armbands and issuing of a pro-democracy statement by Andy Flower and Henry Olonga suggested a level of courage and moral leadership seldom seen from any sportsman since the then Cassius Clay refused to serve in Vietnam. In fact, they have risked more….
Those black armbands must be a reminder that sportsmen, however much they behave like them, aren't children. They can make moral judgements of their own."
Matthew Norman, Daily Mirror (11 February 2003)

"It must be considered the most courageous gesture in the history of sport…. These two senior players have behaved in a sane, sensible, logical and courageous fashion, in dramatic contrast to the administrators of both English and world cricket."
Simon Barnes, Sports Correspondent, The Times (11 February 2003)

"Star batsman Flower and deadlocked pace bowler Olonga gave the sporting world an object lesson in moral courage."
Mike Walters, Daily Mirror (11 February 2003)

"Theirs is one country, at least, whose schoolboys can be proud of their cricketing heroes."
Editorial, Daily Telegraph (11 February 2003)

"Cricket's bravest players."
The Sun (11 February 2003)

"Andy Flower and Henry Olonga … shine out like diamonds in a pile of mud. As someone who knows the country well - and first reported on Mugabe's atrocities 19 years ago - I salute their raw courage. These brave men have given back to cricket, and to sport in general, some of the dignity and self-respect it was in serious danger of throwing away."
Donald Trelford, Daily Telegraph (18 February 2003)

"Andy Flower and Henry Olonga proved themselves to be heroes in a way that transcends the use of that word in a sporting context."
Mitchell Symons, Columnist of the Year, Daily Express (14 February 2003)

"Not only have [Henry Olonga and Andy Flower] risked their cricketing careers, but given the totalitarian politics of Zimbabwe, their liberty too. Compared to this shining and courageous act, all others look tarnished. Yet to be fair to the English players… it was [they] who pushed the administrators of the England and Wales Cricket Board to recognise just how morally improper it would be to play in the police state."
Editorial, The Guardian (11 February 2003)

"Olonga, the first black player to represent Zimbabwe, has the most to lose. At 26, a committed Christian, born in Zambia and with a Kenyan father, he is a fine singer and considered an acting career before turning to cricket. Flower is arguably Zimbabwe's greatest player, with more than 200 one-day appearances and 63 tests in a 12-year career."
Hugh Walker, Daily Express (11 February 2003)

"The timing of their statement is clever because they are daring Mugabe to take action against them while they are on a global stage. When the window of the World Cup is over, however, the comfort zone will be theirs no more. For Flower, this is perhaps not such a threat. He is retiring from international cricket after the tournament and will continue his professional career abroad… Olonga, however, has his career ahead of him."
Owen Slot, Chief Sports Reporter, The Times (11 February 2003)

"Despite his vaunted mission to erase the colonial legacy from Zimbabwe, Mr Mugabe is selectively enthusiastic about English culture, and is said to be excessively proud of his honorary role as patron of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. It is unlikely that he will allow yesterday's protest to pass without consequence for the two players."
Stephen Robinson, The Daily Telegraph (11 February 2003)

"Like a bull incandescent with rage."
An advisor's description of Mugabe's reaction to Olonga and Flower's gesture (see The Sunday Times, 16 February 2003)

"It is disgraceful what Henry Olonga and Andy Flower have done…. Taking politics on to the playing field is something that the ICC and other sporting bodies, including the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, have been avoiding…. Olonga has been a hero and role model to the black cricketing community. It seems he as decided to enter into the political arena using cricket."
Givemore Makoni, Chairman of Olonga's club side Takashinga, which suspended Olonga the same day. (10 February 2003)

"They are our heroes, we salute them for taking this stand…. They have taken their own lives in their own hands, which is why this is such a magnificent gesture."
Paul Themba Nyathi, MDC Spokesman (10 February 2003)

"The team is 100% behind Andy and Henry. They think what they did takes a lot of balls and that it was the right thing to do."
Anonymous 'source in the dressing room' (The Guardian, 11 February 2003)

"We support Andy and Henry. They have made a brave stand and they have said it like it is. They have acted like true sportsmen and stood up for fair play. I am only sorry that [Zimbabwe captain] Heath Streak is not doing the same thing."
Anonymous Zimbabwean cricket fan (The Guardian, 11 February 2003)

"Deep down, I wish our actions had been as clear and courageous as those of the two Zimbabweans."
Nasser Hussain, Captain of the England Cricket Team (see The Sunday Telegraph, 16 February 2003)