Kolpak Ruling.......A Threat to CSA !!!!!

Kevin Pietersen, Nic Pothas, Kruger van Wyk, Jonathan Trott, Jacques Rudolph, Ryan Mclaren, Craig Kieswetter....and some more........and who knows, could be Vaughn van Jaarsveld in the coming months..........hmmn.......got an idea of what I am talking about.....it is about the bitter and ever increasing exodus of cricketing talent from South Africa to countries such as England and Australia. It is not just restricted to Kevin Pietersen anymore, but is spreading and Cricket South Africa needs to put effective remedial measures in place before this exodus debilitates South African cricket.

It is all about some of these players taking advantage of the Kolpak ruling. The Kolpak ruling was the EU ruling in favour of Maros Kolpak, a Slovak handball player. In short, it stated that (when applied to cricket) cricketers from those nations which had an associate trading relationship with the EU could be hired by English county cricket clubs and play for them freely as professionals., subject to the Kolpak clause. A Kolpak player or Kolpak, is a term used in the United Kingdom for players in domestic cricket and rugby league from overseas, subject to the Kolpak clause. (The ruling, when applied to professional sports, meant that, if any sporting club chose a player who lived in the European Union,then no law could prevent that from happening. For example, a French baseball team could not be prevented from hiring a German player since both nations were members of the EU. However, since Kolpak was not from the EU, but from a nation that had an associate trading relationship,the decision meant that any player from any nation which had such a relationship with the EU could also freely play as a professional- Wikipedia).Now, the emotional reaction to all of this could be one of extreme hate and ultra-nationalism. Indeed, Kevin Pietersen hasn't been forgiven still, by some South Africans for his 'betrayal' of his birth country and he is someone not appreciated by very many South Africans, to put it mildly. The relevant question is, why are so many talented white cricketers leaving South Africa. One could 'sympathise' with Tony Greig, Allan Lamb, Robin Smith, Kepler Wessels and some others for opting to leave South Africa because South Africa in the 60's and 70's was a pariah nation. South Africa was criticised at many international conferences on political, economic and social issues for its apartheid policy (South Africa was probably the only 'officially' racist nation in the world then). South Africa was expelled from international cricket in the 1970 mainly because of the 'Basil D'Oliveira' affair. That left many supremely talented South African cricketers with no country to play for. Some of them were so passionate about cricket that they left their motherland to settle down in England with the aim of getting English citizenship, thereby qualifying to represent England. But many cricketing gems in the form of Barry Richards, Mike Procter, Eddie Barlow, Peter and Graeme Pollock chose to stay on in the Republic and not play for any country, displaying 'true' patriotism, though they must have felt 'gutted' to not be able to display their talents on the international arena. But the Republic was readmitted into the cricketing fold in 92 and everything seemed to be going well as far South African cricket was concerned. But since the beginning of 2000, when the quota policy(of including four non-white players in every match) was introduced and had to be strictly adhered to, South Africa has been witnessing white cricketers leaving the nation in droves. This is an absolutely worrying trend and one which doesn't look like stopping.

There are various reasons being attributed to this 'betrayal' (forgive my bias...........I am a loyal RSA supporter.......although I know I ought to be more balanced........will try)- better financial future in England, Australia and NZL; escaping from the 'high' crime rate in SA; inability to see themselves being part of a nation ruled by blacks; 'reverse racism' or 'positive discrimination' preventing them from getting an opportunity to represent SA. Let us try to dissect the points mentioned above in some more detail.Yes, it is true that professionals in the English county cricket circuit are paid more than those in South African domestic cricket. At times, life and securing your financial future does come above pride in playing for your country. England provides them with that luxury although I can't digest this reason completely because most white cricketers in South Africa are reasonably affluent....ahh........but even in South African domestic cricket, the quota system exists which again acts as an obstacle to the progress of the careers of these whites. As far as coming from reasonably affluent families is concerned, if you can earn more money by playing in some other country, then why not.........in this globalised world of ours today, nationality and identity does not figure as prominently in the minds of people and cricketers as it used to in the past. There are some cricketers, who say that, the spiralling crime rate in the Republic leaves them with no choice other than packing their bags and leaving, since the targets of crime in many cases are affluent whites. This is again, a predicament , which I tend to sympathise with, as much as I would like not to though. Andrew Hall(a white cricketer.......a bowling all-rounder) has been, what you could call, a 'famous victim' of mugging in the past. He survived since fate was on his side. And oh yes........the third reason, although despicable, is unfortunately, still, a bitter reality. 13 years after liberation, still, 'old-fashioned' racists and 'apartheid boeties' exist in South Africa, who fervently believe that South Africa was and will be be better off under white rule and blacks should be treated as 'third-class' citizens.....a pity....... if you visit some of the posh 'white localities' in SA, you will still get to see this disgusting mentality prevailing, not in the open, but behind closed doors. Some cricketers, I will take the liberty of including them in this category (Kevin Pietersen is one such example....while calling him a 'hardcore racist' would be unfair and incorrect....but somehow his dislike of the 'new' South Africa is evident.... I feel.......although he is a fabulous cricketer.....a star, undoubtedly). And I state that if racists do decide to leave South Africa, then the nation is better off without these 'dirt bags'. The Republic can do without them.

And now,the last and the most pertinent reason: the quota policy or as CSA would call it, the 'transformation' policy which desires to make cricket in SA a truly inclusive and popular sport and not just a game espoused by elite whites as was the case, generally speaking, in the apartheid and pre-1948 era. While this policy is very admirable and noble, a 'pragmatic' implementation of it is needed at the ground level, not a 'forcible' implementation, as has been the case, on certain occasions, in the past, which has only resulted in lowering SA's standard and competitiveness in international matches. It is this reason, that many whites say, is mainly responsible for leading them out of SA. They feel their abilities are being wasted and not utilised properly in South Africa and they will be able to serve other cricketing nations better.Also, these cricketers ( who leave SA for this reason) are very passionate about playing the game at the highest level and representing their country. They are not content just playing domestic cricket.......and hence they leave......and England, Australia are countries which they adjust in relatively easily because of cultural similarities they encounter in these nations. Look, my sympathies do lie with them, as much as I would like to castigate them. But then, again, it is not as if CSA is following in the footsteps of ZCU by discarding white players recklessly. If that was the case, Graeme Smith would not have been picked in the side, let alone be appointed captain. A B de Villiers, the 'blue-eyed boy' of South African cricket, for his amazing sporting skills, would not have been in the picture. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Johan Botha.........would never have got any opportunity to represent their country..........but they have.......all these players have played for SA in the recent past and will be an integral part of the team in the near and distant future, for sure. All is not that gloomy and it is not as if, the situation is as dire, as it is in Zimbabwe, with regard to cricket. White South Africans need to have deep patriotic feelings in them and be proud of being a part of the 'new', 'non-racial', 'multi-coloured', 'unbiased' SA, for only that can motivate them to stay on. Smith has always said that he took pride in being a citizen of 'liberated' SA and it is that kind of sentiment that needs to prevail. But I know, the whites who decide to leave are human beings after all and human beings have their own 'moral frailties' and these white cricketers can't be stopped from leaving SA.......that would a ludicrous thing to do.

What needs to be done, however, is proper and practical implementation of the transformation policy, not picking non-whites just for the sake of picking to please political masters, for that would be detrimental to the health of CSA. Cricket infrastructure in the previously disadvantaged areas needs to be developed and improved relentlessly without a sense of complacency ever setting in. This process will take time, for cricket is not the No.1 sport in SA. Football is , followed by Rugby. No one should set unattainable and unreasonable deadlines for implementation. Patience is the need of the hour and if displayed continuously over the next, say, 10 years, fruitful results will be there for everyone to see and be proud of. For nothing can be a more genuinely pleasing and justice-delivering sight than to see a 'truly deserving' and 'meritorious' black majority South African cricket team stepping out onto the cricket field. But as is said, 'Rome was not built in a day'. All the genuine stakeholders in CSA will have to be patient and persevere. There will be many roadblocks on the way. But keep the final goal in mind without ever wavering..........

These are troubling times for CSA, undeniably. Astute, pragmatic and no-nonsense tolerating leadership is what will take South Africa into the territory of success ( I mean success in 'big' tournaments like the WC, etc) , both on and off the field, in terms of real transformation and popularising the game. My best wishes are always there with CSA as has been the case over the past 11 years and will be till the last breath of my life..........!!!!!!