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MATCH FIXING REPORT FROM CBI: "A Sin that cannot be pardoned"
A Hurting news for all our
Indians. A sin that has been committed by our Indian Cricket
Stars. A shameful act which cannot be 
digested by any
True Indian. CBI made the report public yesterday and after
reading the following from various News papers My eyes filled
with Blood Tears. We were made fools by Some Individuals who Just
want
MONEY MONEY. They
don't have any Moral Values. They don't have Love for India. They
don't have anything. I don't find any difference between a Pig
that is roaming in Streets and those who were involved in the
Match Fixing.
Mohammad
Azharuddin, Nayan Mongya, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabakar and Ajay
Sharma have been reports by CBI that they were involved and THEY
GOT MONEY and lost matches. Do they think that we are crazy to watch a match
getting early in the morning, Cutting College etc etc. They have
sold 95 Crore people feelings. They have cheated us. How can one
play for money when he is Representing INDIA. When he is
representing 95 Crore people?? When he is representing 95 Crore
people Feelings. I really had a feeling when Azaruddin used to
play lazy innings and when he used to touch the ball which is
going outsize the off stump. How can an Indian captain who was
there for 10 YEARS can do this to us. Can Do this to India.
I consider it has a Sin to our Mother Country. It's a sin don't
to our nation, to our people. If money is the only criteria We
all can donate collecting some for those Players who play Just
for money and not for Our country. They have made us to put our
head down. We feel sorry for them. They are not our people
anymore. We hate them. My Blood boils and So does evey Indian
around the World feel about this issue.
Read the following which are collection from various News
Magazines that say clearly about the Match Fixing and who are
involved. What
does AZHAR, JADEJA, PRABAKAR, TENDULKAR Say about the Match
FIXING. Read the following
Mail your comments and Feeling on "MATCH FIXING" to
KANMAN@HOTMAIL.COM
Mixed
reactions from players, Officials to CBI report: From PTI.
So finally the report is out and has been made public. The
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed perhaps the
most shameful chapter in the history of cricket. Off the field,
Indian cricket has hit a new low over the past six months. On the
field, things have been no better and the team reached a nadir in
Sharjah just the other day.
In a damning expose, the CBI report has ripped apart the
reputation of many Indian and foreign players. The 162-page
report has alleged that former Indian captain Md Azharuddin along
with Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia fixed some games for money.
Another Indian players who is said to have a nexus with the
bookies is former Indian player Ajay Sharma. The man who first
blew the siren and talked of cleansing the game Manoj Prabhakar
has also been named in the report of wrong doing.
Azharuddin has named his former teammates Jadeja and Mongia as
being involved with him in fixing matches, according to the
report submitted by the agency to the government.
Another name which may surprise many is that of former Indian
physio Ali Irani who is said to have been a conduit of
Azharuddin.
The report said that Irani has been named by the
investigating agency as having "acted as a conduit for
receiving payments on behalf of Azharuddin from MK and his
associates." Azhar is alleged to have paid Irani money on
each occasion he received payments on the former's behalf, the
report said.
But perhaps the most shocking aspect of the report is that match
fixing is not only a virus in India or confined to Indian
cricketers. The report has it that the menace has spread its
venom to other cricketing nations too.
The Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa said on Tuesday that apart
from the Indian players, former England captain Alec
Stewart and former West Indies captain Brian Lara along
with seven other foreign cricketers have been named by
bookies as being involved in match- fixing. He also added that
Australian player Dean Jones has also been named in the report.
The report does not specify whether the foreign players accepted
or turned down the request made by Mukesh Gupta, an alleged
bookie, to throw matches. The players named in the report are
former England captain Alec Stewart, West Indian batting stalwart
Brian Lara, Australians Mark Waugh and Dean Jones, Sri Lanka's
Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, former South African
skipper Hansie Cronje, former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe
and former Pakistan skipper Salim Malik.
The immediate reaction from various quarters of the world has
been one of shock and disbelief.
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe strongly
denied that he was linked to match-fixing in India. Talking to
AFP on Wednesday, Crowe said "I'm shattered that my name is
mentioned when you don't know what it's for. I'll be more than
interested to see what this report says. The only incident I've
ever had is with a so-called journalist in 1992. That was this
guy Gupta who did a couple of articles with me over the phone and
then revealed he was a bookie, at which time I told him to leave
me alone. That was about the only contact I've ever had with that
part of the world and the first time I've heard of it since.'' He
added I've never had any contact with these dudes (bookmakers).
It certainly never came into direct contact with the New Zealand
team at the time, but we did hear whispers of things from the
sub-continent."
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Chris Doig said he was
unaware of the content of the report, and would make no comment
until he knew the full details.
Former Australian batsman Dean Jones was quick
to deny the allegations. "I'm obviously surprised about
this. In what way has my name been brought up?" Jones told
ABC radio, quotes AFP. Jones said "In 1992, there was the
well-documented situation where I was approached by a bookmaker
and by an Indian player - most of the Australian players know who
that guy was -- so whether they used me to throw a bit of dirt
around, I don't know. All my books are open, anyone can go
through my place. There is one player throwing a lot of dirt over
there trying to protect his backside at the moment."
English cricket officials remained silent on Wednesday after
former captain Alec Stewart was named in the agency's report
which claims that bookmaker Mukesh Gupta paid Stewart 5,000
pounds for pitch, weather and team information. The official team
spokesman Andrew Walpole said in Rawalpindi "We are in
constant touch with the England and Wales Cricket Board in London
and Stewart or any other official will not make any comment until
the report is made public."
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief Pat Rousseau said he
would not comment on an Indian government report that allegedly
accuses former West Indies captain Brian Lara and others of
involvement in a match-fixing scandal. Rousseau said "So far
all we can hear is sources saying this and that without a shred
of evidence." The Observer quoted him as saying that
"Until we do, it is unfair to fuel the rumour mill."
PTI, quoting an AP report said that the WICB chief executive
Gregory Shillingford on Tuesday said that the British
investigators had interviewed Lara. Shillingford said he believed
they were seeking evidence against an alleged bookmaker. "It
was simply a matter of Brian verifying that he had been
approached by an Indian bookmaker during one of his stopovers in
London and that he had told the man he wanted nothing to do
him," Shillingford said. Lara has denied any involvement. He
was scheduled to leave Jamaica Monday night with the West Indies
for their tour in Australia.
Finally, the Sri Lankan officials cricket were dismayed over the
allegations against their two super stars Arjuna Ranatunga and
his deputy Aravinda de Silva on the report that they accepted
bribes to fix matches. Mukesh Gupta had claimed in the CBI report
that the two cricketers helped him fix an Indian victory in the
Lucknow Test in 1994. He also said that de Silva was paid 15,000
dollars. A Lankan Board official said "Both players are now
seeking legal advice and a statement will be issued later. The
allegations, coming from a questionable character, lack
credibility."
Sachin suspected Azhar: CBI
New Delhi, November 1, 2000 Former Indian captain Mohammad
Azharuddin received huge sums of money for fixing matches on
behalf of two bookmakers, a federal report into cricket's biggest
scandal claimed Wednesday. Azharuddin, 37, who led India for a 
decade
in his 16-year career, was also named by batting star Sachin
Tendulkar during his testimony to the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI).
The report quoted Tendulkar as saying he suspected
Azharuddin's involvement with bookmakers. "On being
asked whether he suspected any Indian player of being involved in
match-fixing, Sachin said that during his tenure as captain, he
suspected that Azharuddin was not putting in 100 percent effort
as he suspected he was involved with some bookies," the
report said.
Tendulkar had resigned as captain before the home series against
South Africa earlier this year when he was told by the selectors
that Azharuddin was being taken back in the team.
"It is clear Azharuddin contributed substantially toward the
expanding player/bookie nexus in Indian cricket," the CBI
report said.
"The enquiry has disclosed that he received large sums of
money from the betting syndicates to fix matches, which resulted
in this malaise making further inroads in Indian cricket.
"The evidence against Azharuddin clearly establishes the
fact that the underworld had also approached them to fix matches
for them," the report said. The CBI quoted testimony from
Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta, who met Azharuddin through
another former player Ajay Sharma in 1995.Gupta said he gave
Azharuddin five million rupees (111,000 dollars) as an advance
which would be adjusted against the matches the then captain
would "do" for Gupta.
"Azharuddin, in his statement, has confessed receiving money
from MK (Gupta) to fix some matches," the report says. "But
he has stated he did only two matches for Gupta -- the Titan Cup
match against South Africa at Rajkot in 1996 and some match in
the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in 1997.
"The admission of Azhar that he 'did' only two matches for
Gupta during this period appears a dilution of the actual facts
in the context of the amount of money he had received from
Gupta," the report said. According to the report, Azharuddin
also confessed fixing the 1999 one-day international between
India and Pakistan at Jaipur for another Indian bookmaker Ajay
Gupta.
"Azharuddin said he received one million rupees (22,300
dollars) from an unknown person on behalf of Ajay Gupta for that
match," 
the report said. "However, in view of the large
amount of money Azhar had received from Ajay Gupta and the
hospitality he has enjoyed through him, it is very difficult to
believe that he 'did' only one match for them."
Azharuddin also reportedly revealed his connection with the
underworld during his interrogation. "Azhar stated that Abu
Salem (an underworld figure in Dubai) had rung him up on a couple
of occasions to fix matches but he had refused," the report
says.
"Physiotherapist Ali Irani, in his statement, has said that
Azharuddin had told him once that he was doing matches for Anees
Ibrahim (another underworld don) and hence he cannot do with
anyone else." Azharuddin, who has played more one-day
internationals than any player in the world, was axed from the
national team last month. Source: AFP
Bitter
Kapil accuses the media of ruining his reputation
New Delhi, November 1, 2000 Former Indian captain Kapil Dev,
cleared by the CBI of match-fixing charges, blamed the media for
ruining his reputation. "The media refused to believe me
when I said I was innocent," an angry Kapil told AFP.
"They first tear my clothes off and now offer me new ones to
cover myself.
"When I was accused of match-fixing, the papers splashed it
on the front pages. But now that my name is cleared, it is buried
somewhere at the back.
"I am not interested in what the report says. It
can't erase the pain and anguish I went through those days."
The CBI report, to be released later on Wednesday, said
it had found no concrete evidence against Kapil, who was accused
by former Test player Manoj Prabhakar of offering him 25,000
dollars to play badly during a one-day match against Pakistan in
Sri Lanka in 1994. Kapil, the second-highest wicket-taker in Test
history, resigned as national coach in September, saying the
scandal had made him lose interest in the game.
Meanwhile, there were mixed reactions from other Indian
cricketers named in the CBI report. Test star Ajay Jadeja,
playing a first-class match in the northern city of Jammu, told
the Press Trust of India (PTI) he was not aware of the CBI's
findings, but stressed he was innocent. "Whatever
I've come to know is from the media only. I am innocent,"
Jadeja said.
Jadeja, in fact, denied he had ever been questioned by CBI or
been asked to appear before it. "But if the CBI asks, I'll
not hesitate to appear before it," he said. "If any
charge is proved against me, I will respect law as I am a
law-abiding citizen."
Jadeja, who was axed from the national squad after his name was
embroiled in the scandal, said the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) had not banned him from playing. "I was
dropped because of my poor performance and when I improve my
performance I will be back in the team," he told PTI.
Jadeja criticised the media for sensationalising the whole issue.
"When allegations were being made against Kapil Dev, the
newspapers carried them on the front pages but now that he has
been found innocent, he has been relegated to the back
pages," he said.
Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin refused to take calls
at his home in Hyderabad. His cousin Abrar Mohammad told PTI:
"I have spoken to him and he expressed his unwillingness to
make any statement at this stage."
The family of former Indian team physiotherapist Ali Irani, who
has also been named in the report, said his whereabouts were not
known.
BCCI president A.C. Muthiah was awaiting a copy of the report,
which will be passed on to the board's disciplinary committee.
"It's premature to say anything at this stage, but I can
promise that action will be taken against the guilty," he
said. Source: AFP
"I
am innocent," says Jadeja
Jammu, October 31, 2000 Cricketer Ajay Jadeja tonight expressed
ignorance about his name being mentioned in the CBI report on
match-fixing and said he was totally innocent. "Whatever
I've come to know is from the media only. I am innocent,"
Jadeja said here.
Jadeja is one of the players named by CBI, in its report
submitted to Sports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, in connection
with match-fixing.Jadeja denied he had ever been questioned by
CBI or been asked to appear before it.
(However) if CBI asks, I'll not hesitate to appear before it.
"If any charge is proved against me, I will respect law as I
am a law-abiding citizen," Jadeja said.
Jadeja, who was dropped from the team for the recent
series in Kenya and Sharjah, however, said the Cricket Board had
not put a ban on his playing.
"I was dropped because of my poor performance and when I
improve my performance I will be back in the team," he said.
Jadeja criticised the media for sensationalising the whole issue.
"When allegations were being made against Kapil Dev, the
newspapers carried them on the front pages but now that he has
been found innocent, he has been relegated to the back
pages", he said. Source: PTI
If
serving the nation is a crime, I plead guilty: Prabhakar
New Delhi, October 30
"I don't know on what basis my name is being bandied
about," former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar said here
tonight, reacting to media reports that his name was among those
figuring in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report on
betting and match-fixing submitted to the Government.
Prabhakar told PTI, "If serving the nation is a crime, I
plead guilty. As far as I am concerned, now the ball is neither
in the CBI's court nor in the Government's court but it is in the
people's court. It is for the people of the country to decide
whether I am guilty or not", Prabhakar added.
Source:
PTI
Sri Lanka cricket board dismayed over fixing charges
Colombo, November 1, 2000 Sri Lanka's cricket authorities
expressed dismay over allegations that the country's world-cup
winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and his deputy Aravinda de Silva
accepted bribes to fix matches. A bookmaker, Mukesh Gupta, had
claimed in a testimony published in an Indian Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) report that Sri Lanka's Ranatunga and De
Silva helped him fix an Indian victory in the Lucknow Test in
1994.
Gupta had said that de Silva was paid 15,000 dollars, but it was
not immediately clear if there were any direct allegations
against Ranatunga who led Sri Lanka to a World Cup victory
against Australia in 1996. "Both players are now seeking
legal advise on a statement they will be issuing later
today," a Cricket Board official said. "The allegations
coming from a questionable character lacks credibility."
The CBI said Gupta, a Delhi-based jeweller, had told
investigators that he had paid 20,000 dollars to Australia's Mark
Waugh for weather, team and pitch information. But the report
does not say how much team mate Shane Warne was paid.
Disgraced former South African captain Hansie Cronje told the
South African King commission earlier this year that Gupta had
been introduced to him by former Indian captain Mohammad
Azharuddin during the series in India in 1996. The CBI report
says Gupta admitted paying 40,000 dollars to Cronje on the third
day of the Kanpur Test to ensure a "South African loss and
as an investment for future."
Sri Lanka's cricket board in July set up of an independent panel
to investigate and prevent match-fixing that is plaguing the
sport world-wide. The Board appointed a five-member panel headed
by a retired supreme court judge to draft a code of conduct for
players. Sri Lanka's Cricket Board president Thilanga Sumathipala
said at the time that his country had been spared allegations of
match fixing but he wanted the panel to recommend ways and means
to ensure that it did not creep into the game here.
"We want to have a committee that will make recommendations
and we hope to publish them and also go to the ICC and ask them
to adopt such systems to prevent the fraud of match fixing,"
Sumathipala said. Source: AFP
Azhar's
mentor in shock
Mumbai, November 1, 2000
P R Man Singh, who was instrumental in the development of young
Mohammad Azharuddin, is in a state of shock after the Central
Bureau of Investigations (CBI) reported that the former India
captain received money from the bookmakers to fix matches.
According to reports, it is found out that Ajay Jadeja, Nayan
Mongia and Ali Irani were also involved in Azhar's deals.
"I don't know what to say. I still can't believe that Azhar
would do all this," said Man Singh, who knows Azhar from his
childhood days. When asked what action should the BCCI take on
the alleged fixers, Man Singh, who was the Administrative Manager
during India's 1983 World Cup triumph, said: "They should go
by their code of conduct."
With CBI implicating involvement of the Hyderbad son, the city is
quite disturbed. Azhar's close friend Minhaj Amjed, who was a
picture of joy after Azhar's dramatic comeback century against
South Africa last year, offered "no comment".
Photographer Mohammad Abdul Haq, who experienced the generous
side of Azhar when the batsman invited him to share a room with
him during a Ranji game in Calicut last year, was speechess.
"It is difficult to understand the new developments. After
all, Azhar was in a relaxed mood after meeting the CBI officials.
Now he is not meeting anyone," said Haq. In fact, he had
told the press through he is brother that he won't give any
reaction till further notice.
Meanwhile, Azhar's mother has been admitted in a local hospital
since last week for a mild heart trouble. She also suffers from
high blood pressure and diabetes. She was expected to get
discharge yesterday. But her stay has been delayed for reasons
unknown.
Disgusting and shameful acts: Gaekwad: PTI
Former Indian opener and present coach, Anshuman Gaekwad was very
hurt by the revelations of the CBI report and was very
disillusioned by the findings. Speaking to total cricket, Gaekwad
said, "It's a sad thing for Indian cricket and the
cricketers. I'd never have imagined the boys getting into such
disgusting and shameful acts."
He was obviously very shocked and wanted firm action taken
against those found guilty. He said, "Whoever is proved
guilty should be banned for life and they should not be allowed
to participate in activities that belong to the cricketing
fraternity."
When asked whether Azhar, Jadeja and Mongia would be able to face
him now, Gaekwad said, "they would not be able to face me
and they would be in a very embarrassing position if they
did."
Gaekwad cofirms that on the 1998 tour of Sri Lanka,
Administrative Manager Venkat Sundarma had received a call from a
bookie claiming that India's league game to be played on the next
day was fixed. "I had communicated to the Board
secretary."
When asked why he did not make a mention of it in his tour
report, Gaekwad said: "As India won that match and also the
tournament, I felt there was no need to write about it."
New Delhi, November 1, 2000 The Indian government's probe into
match-fixing in cricket, which names several top stars, was made
public by sports minister Sukhdev Dhindsa here on Wednesday.
Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj
Prabhakar, Nayan Mongia and Ajay Sharma have been named by the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as being involved in the
scandal.
The foreign players named in the report include ex-Test captains
Alec Stewart (England), Brian Lara (West Indies), Hansie Cronje
(South Africa), Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda De Silva (Sri
Lanka), Martin Crowe (New Zealand) and Salim Malik (Pakistan).
Australia's Mark Waugh, Asif Iqbal of Pakistan and former Indian
physiotherapist Ali Irani were also named.
The CBI, however, found no evidence against former Indian captain
and coach Kapil Dev, who was accused by teammate Prabhakar of
offering him 25,000 dollars to play badly during a one-day match
against Pakistan in Sri Lanka in 1994.
The 162-page report is largely made up of testimony from Indian
bookmakers, as well as players and does not amount to the
levelling of formal charges against any of those named. Releasing
the report, Dhindsa told a packed news conference he hoped the
guilty would be punished. "I have sent copies of the report
to the law ministry to see what steps can be taken next," he
said.
"The law ministry will decide if we can file charges against
the Indian players. I am not certain what will happen about the
foreign players." Dhindsa was confident the report will have
a good impact on the game in future. "I hope ... I am
certain that no player will indulge in match-fixing, at least for
the time being."
Dhindsa said he had summoned the president of the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to discuss the fall out from
the report. "I have sent him a copy of the report and called
him for a meeting on Friday. We will sit together and decide what
to do next," the minister said. The BCCI has promised to
take stern action against the guilty players, possibly even
erasing their records. Source: AFP