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sports Diaranson 27 october 2021

De Kock protest after South Africa team ordered to take knee

(AP) — Quinton de Kock Some members of South Af- support” for the anti-racism
refused to play in a T20 rica’s team take a knee with movement, CSA said.
World Cup game against their fists raised. Others stand
the West Indies on Tues- with fists raised. De Kock, fast However, compelling players
day in protest after Crick- bowler Anrich Nortje and to kneel before games stirred
et South Africa ordered batsman Heinrich Klaasen, fierce debate and split opin-
its players to take a knee who are all white, have stood ion back home and, as de
before matches in support with their hands by their side Kock’s situation showed, has
of the Black Lives Matter before recent matches. created friction within the
movement. team.
Ahead of the West Indies
CSA issued a statement about game, Klaasen and Nortje The World Cup team is led
an hour before the start of the took a knee, as did every oth- by Temba Bavuma, the coun-
match in Dubai saying it had er South African player, in re- try’s first Black cricket cap-
ordered players to make the sponse to the directive. tain. It is a multiracial squad,
anti-racism gesture ahead of with Black players, white
their remaining games at the “Diversity can and should players, players of Asian de-
tournament. find expression in many fac- scent and of mixed-race heri- when former spin bowler take a knee in a unified posi-
ets of our daily lives, but not tage. Paul Adams said he was regu- tion, it said.
In a second statement re- when it comes to taking a larly racially abused during
sponding to de Kock’s with- stand against racism,” said However, South Africa’s his- the late 1990s in a song sung “The board felt it was im-
drawal from Tuesday’s game, CSA chairman Lawson Nai- tory of racism under apart- by white teammates, includ- perative for the team to be
CSA said it noted the wick- doo in defense of the new heid seeped into all areas of ing Mark Boucher, who is seen taking a united and
etkeeper-batsman’s “personal policy, which seemingly now society — only whites were now the national team coach consistent stand against rac-
decision” not to take a knee means players must take a allowed to play for sports and in charge at the World ism, especially given (South
and would decide on its next knee if they want to play. teams — and cricket, like Cup. Africa’s) history,” CSA said.
course of action after a re- many areas, has struggled to “Several other teams at the
port from team management. The different stances from emerge fully from that shad- Boucher has since issued an World Cup have adopted a
There was speculation that players had previously pro- ow. apology, saying he didn’t real- consistent stance against the
de Kock, a former national voked criticism from some ize at the time that the song issue, and the board felt it is
team captain, would return quarters in South Africa, Recently, South African caused offense. time for all (South African)
home from the World Cup. where issues of racism are cricket has held a series of players to do the same.”
constantly in the headlines open hearings after Black CSA said its board “unani-
CSA said it decided to force because of the country’s his- players who were previ- mously agreed” to force play- But there was opposition to it
players to take a knee after tory of forced segregation ously on the team claimed ers to take a knee after a meet- being forced.
“concerns were raised” about under the former apartheid they were marginalized, and ing on Monday, adding it also
the “different postures” taken regime. sometimes victims of direct considered “the position of Former England cricket cap-
ahead of warmup matches racism, even years after apart- the players” before making tain Michael Vaughan wrote
and the team’s first World The cricketers, many of them heid ended in 1994. the decision. The organiza- on Twitter: “Surely it’s down
Cup game against Australia sporting idols back home, tion was pushed into action to the individual to decide
on Saturday. “created an unintended per- The most damaging rev- after seeing other teams, like whether he or she wants to be
ception of disparity or lack of elation at the hearings came England and the West Indies, involved in any movement.”

Solskjaer leads Man United practice amid scrutiny on job

(AP) — Ole Gunnar Sol- Cup elimination and Solsk- ing for selfies with fans out- side the stadium later in the evening.
skjaer was back with his jaer is expected to take the
Manchester United play- team to Tottenham on Sat-
ers on Tuesday leading a urday. United is eight points
practice session, trying to behind leader Chelsea after
turn around the team’s nine games.
fortunes amid scrutiny on
his future as manager. There are another two match-
es after Tottenham before the
A 5-0 rout by Liverpool on international break, away at
Sunday left United with Atalanta in the Champions
one point from its last four League and the Manchester
Premier League games. The derby against City in the Pre-
squad had a planned rest day mier League.
on Monday before they re-
ported back to the training Solskjaer has been unable to
facility to see Solskjaer as ex- win a trophy since replacing
pected on Tuesday. Jose Mourinho as manager in
December 2018. Before the
United has characteristically start of the season, the former
said nothing publicly on Sol- United striker was handed a
skjaer’s future this week to new three-year contract de-
feed any doubts raised over spite a distant second-place
his ability to stay in the job. finish behind Manchester
But the club’s Twitter ac- City in the league.
count posted on Monday:
“Ole is setting his sights on While the team was booed off
United’s next three games in the field at Old Trafford after
a bid to fight back.” being embarrassed by Liver-
pool, the Norwegian faced
There is no midweek game no abuse during 10 minutes
following United’s League signing autographs and pos-