- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The Australian government has warned the head of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) he must have good grounds to enter this country to attend a meeting of the sport’s world leaders.
ZC chairman Peter Chingoka is one of 254 Zimbabweans not permitted entry into Australia because of their links with Robert Mugabe’s reign in the strife-torn African nation.
But Chingoka’s title within his country’s cricket board means he is required to attend the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) two-day conference of directors, scheduled to be held in Perth on January 31 and February 1.
The ICC on Thursday could not confirm whether Chingoka had applied for a visa to visit Australia, and attempts to contact ZC’s headquarters were unsuccessful.
But Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) warned that Chingoka would need “very particular grounds” for Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith to grant him entry.
“Should a sanctioned individual apply for a visa to attend the ICC meeting, there would need to be very particular grounds for the Minister for Foreign Affairs to allow the applicant to enter into or transit through Australia,” a DFAT spokesman said.
“Australia’s sanctions are an important mechanism for applying pressure on the Mugabe regime.
“They send a clear signal that the government holds the Mugabe regime and its closest supporters accountable for the tragedy occurring in Zimbabwe.
“Our measures, and the lists of individuals subject to those measures, are carefully considered and regularly reviewed.”
The DFAT spokesman could not confirm whether Chingoka or ZC chief executive Ozias Bvute – another on the list of those prohibited from visiting Australia – had applied for a visa.
In a recent visit to Australia, ICC president David Morgan said the governing body had made “strenuous efforts” in trying to persuade the Australian government to issue Chingoka a visa.
The doubt over Chingoka’s entry into Australia prompted speculation the ICC would re-schedule its meeting to a venue where the controversial administrator was welcome.
However, the ICC confirmed the meeting would go ahead in Perth, regardless of Chingoka’s presence.
Chingoka is also not permitted to enter the United Kingdom and it was for that reason the ICC last year re-scheduled its annual meeting away from Lord’s, to Dubai, for the first time.
Coincidentally, the results of a recent fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe by an ICC delegation are among the items expected to be discussed at the meeting in Perth.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.