Pak sports minister welcomes ICC tribunal decision to ban ‘tainted trio’
By ANISunday, February 6, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Sports Minister Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani has welcomed the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Tribunal’s decision to ban Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir over spot-fixing charges.
“If any player from any country is involved in dirty act, they should be punished and this will be good for the game of cricket,” the Daily Times quoted Jakhrani, as saying to a TV channel.
“If players are involved, there should be a punishment as other players would learn and we accept the decision,” he added.
The Anti-Corruption Tribunal found the Pakistani trio guilty of corruption and imposed a ten-year ban on Butt, a seven-year one on Asif and a five-year ban on Aamir on Saturday.
The tribunal imposed a ’sanction of ten years ineligibility’ on Butt, “five years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education.”
On Asif, a sanction of seven years ineligibility has been imposed, two years of which are suspended “on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education,” whereas the tribunal imposed a “sanction of five years of ineligibility” on Amir, the youngest of the three accused.
Jakhrani did not totally agree with the punishment meted out to 18-year-old Aamir. “I am concerned about Aamir due to his young age,” he said.
The trio have 21 days to appeal against the ICC sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
Butt, Asif and Amir have become the first players to be banned by the ICC for spot-fixing, an innovation in which cricketers deliberately play in a pre-decided manner at a fixed over or ball during the matches. (ANI)
