Not Enough Black Players? SA Cricket Banned From Hosting Matches

The South African govt banned CSA and few other federations from hosting and bidding for international tournaments

File photo of Kagiso Rabada (Photo: IANS)

South Africa’s sports minister banned its cricket association as well as its Rugby Federation from bidding for or hosting major international tournaments for at least a year on Monday over their failures to create opportunities for black players.

Minister Fikile Mbalula made the announcement after receiving a report on “transformation” in South Africa’s five biggest sports: Rugby, cricket, soccer, athletics and netball.

All five federations agreed on various transformation targets with the government in 2014.

The athletics and netball federations also were banned from bidding while soccer was the only one to meet its target.

I have therefore resolved to revoke the privilege of Athletics South Africa (ASA), Cricket South Africa (CSA), Netball South Africa (NSA) and South African rugby (SARU) to host and bid for major and mega international tournaments.

Fikile Mbalula, Sports Minister, South Africa

Mbalula said he will review his decision when he has received the results of the federations’ transformation efforts for 2016-17 and that could be at the end of next year, or maybe only in early 2018.

Both the rugby and cricket federations said their officials would go into closed-door meetings with sports ministry officials after the announcement.

The South African government has been pushing for years for the country’s main sports – especially rugby and cricket – to create more opportunities for black players. More than two decades after the end of apartheid, those two sports are still generally dominated by whites despite the fact that blacks make up over 80 percent of South Africa’s population.