Screenshot courtesy of Youtube
A 25 year old Tasmanian man has been handed a three year ban from all Cricket Australia matches after he was caught writing a racist slur on a fence at the Hobart test match that targeted South African cricket player, Hashim Amla.The exact wording of the graffiti, which was written on the side of the fence facing the crowd, is unclear though some reports suggest it included the word 'terrorist'. Responding to the incident, South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosaje said:"We have been informed that the man has been formally charged and has been handed a three-year ban from the stadium. From our point of view, it is disappointing and disconcerting because this is not the first act of racial vilification we have received while touring Australia over the years," Moosajee said.The first incident involved racist taunts hurled at former South African bowler, Makhaya Ntini, during a 2005 test match in Perth, in which he and several other players were called "kaffirs" and "kaffir boetie" (brother of blacks).It's also the second high profile incident in which Amla has been labelled a 'terrorist' by someone from the Australian cricket fraternity. The first came in 2013 when former Australian cricketing great, Dean Jones, was caught off-mike calling Amla a "terrorist" while commentating a test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Jones was subsquently sacked by his employer Ten Sports (listen carefully at the :54 second mark in the clip below).
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"It is unacceptable, there is absolutely no place for racial stereotyping and such offensive acts in society, let alone in sport. We thank Cricket Australia and the authorities for dealing with the matter in a swift, professional and stern way and for carrying out the full might of the law," said the South African team manager, Moosajee.A Cricket Australia Spokesman confirmed the suspect was identified through the use of CCTV at the ground and affirmed their organisation's committment to a "zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour at any of our matches, which includes racial vilification.""Our message to any fan attending a match is that if you display anti-social behaviour you will be removed and risk being banned from any cricket match across Australia, as well as police action being taken," the spokesperson said.