India tour of England 2014: Professional Cricketers’ Association apologise to Moeen Ali

Sep 10, 2014

Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) apologised to England spinner Moeen Ali, for suggesting him to take the abuse from the India supporters as a compliment. Angus Porter, the chief executive of the PCA, admitted his attempt to play down the incident at Edgbaston on Sunday only inflamed it further.

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In an interview with Press Association on Tuesday, Porter said it was better for Moeen to be booed than ignored. “There is an element of taking it as a compliment. You are more likely to boo someone when you think they are someone to be feared. Take it as a positive, you’d rather be booed than ignored,” he said.

But Porter quickly apologised for causing any offence. “I made a mistake by suggesting racism does not matter and I do condemn it unreservedly. I started by saying that in the interview but I also tried to play down the situation because Moeen does not want it to become a major issue. But in trying to play it down I succeeded in doing the reverse and I am sorry.”

He further added, “It is very important that I make it clear that racist behaviour is condemned unequivocally and I am happy to say that. I think it is a fact of life for professional sports people that they will get abuse from people in the crowd who have paid their money and enjoy being anonymous in a crowd rather than on the playing field. The only way we can address it is by having a proper debate and ensuring we and all the authorities take appropriate action against racist behaviour.”

Complete coverage of India’s tour to England here