Published: Oct 03, 2014, 08:42 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 03, 2014, 09:03 PM (IST)
Oct 3, 2014
Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire captain, pleaded guilty to abusing Ashwell Prince during a recent County Championship match. Gale has been banned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for two matches. Initially, Gale was charged with racially abusing Prince as he called him a ‘Kolpak f******.’ This was construed as racially offensive when the authorities levelled the charges against the Yorkshire skipper. Gale will also be sent to an anger management program.
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Daily Mail reported the ECB statement, “Mr Gale admits that his conduct was improper and contrary to these ECB Directives. He acknowledges and deeply regrets that the words he used caused any offence and, in particular, that they could have caused offence as a result of the reference to the nationality of the person to whom they were made. Mr Gale wishes to express that this was absolutely not his intention.’
“In light of the above and noting that a two-match suspension has already been served arising out of this incident, in respect of both charges, the CDC imposes a two-match ban and requires Mr Gale to attend an anger management course. Yorkshire CCC undertake to work with Mr Gale to ensure that incidents of this nature do not occur again.” The spat between Gale and Prince, who is black, occurred at the end of the third day’s play in a County Championship match between their sides last month.
A ‘Kolpak’ cricketer is one who was born overseas, but who qualifies to play in English domestic cricket under the laws of the European Union. The term takes its name from Maros Kolpak, a Slovakian handball player who won a landmark case at the European Court of Justice in 2003 that upheld the right to freedom of work and movement within the EU for citizens from countries that have signed agreements with the EU. Yorkshire have defended Gale against accusations of racism and Prince himself said that he did not feel there was a racist element to the batsman’s abuse, which saw him reported by the match umpires.
“I took offence to the way he spoke to me, that’s the bottom line,” Prince, a veteran of 66 Tests, told South African station Ballz Radio. “The way the guy approached me and spoke to me, that’s what I took offence to. I didn’t stand there and think, ‘That may be a racial slur.'” Gale will now miss Yorkshire’s first-class season opener against MCC in Abu Dhabi next year and their opening match of the 2015 County Championship.
(with inputs from AFP)
