guess its not just "a few bad apples" responsible... this thing get outta hand now..
Taunts of Andrew Symonds grow too loud to ignorehttp://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22606077-2882,00.html
INDIAN fans turned on Australia in Mumbai last night, bombarding all-rounder Andrew Symonds with graphic racial taunts and personal abuse.
Mumbai showed its ugly side in the seventh and final match of the one-day series, taking its cue from an Indian cricket board (BCCI) that has branded Symonds a liar after his claims of racist taunts in the fifth match in Vadodara.
An Australian photographer captured evidence of Indian crowds' racial vilification of Symonds and abuse of teammates.
The blatant racism and the photographs forced BCCI president Sharad Pawar and Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O'Connor last night to issue a joint statement deploring racism.
A Cricket Australia spokesman had earlier said "work was going on behind the scenes" to avert major discord between it and the BCCI.
The 40,000 crowd erupted as Symonds left the dressingroom to replace No. 4 batsman Brad Hodge.
A deafening torrent of abuse followed the batsman of the series out to the middle.
Many spectators jumped up and down like gorillas, spewed vitriol and made animal noises.
Local officials reacted by flashing the ICC's anti-racism code on the venue's big screen, but it had little effect.
A rattled Symonds was out first ball and remained rooted to the crease, perhaps indignant at an apparent second round of abuse from the Indian team after his dismissal.
The flashing of the anti-racism code was as absurd as it was futile. BCCI anti-racism officer Ratnakar Shetty said on Tuesday he did not believe in the code he was being asked to administer.
Before the game BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah had backed the comments of Shetty, who said the ICC's anti-racism code was flawed.
"If you put too much emphasis on it at the ground, people become unnecessarily aware of it. It is very difficult to complain about someone publicly chanting," Shah said.
"That is his (Shetty's) view and I agree to it. I can't understand all this. It has been blown all out of proportion."
But as Symonds trudged off to a encore barrage of racist taunts and monkey calls, it became clear that the issue was alive and kicking.
The BCCI ploy, supported by Cricket Australia, to try to sweep the issue under the carpet had backfired.
The disgraceful crowd behaviour started before a ball had been bowled. Banners in the crowd read "Symonds sucks a--hole" and "Go home monkey face".
The Australian team was also abused during its team photo on the ground. Asked by officials to refrain from abusing the team, crowd members justified the abuse by saying it was a religious chant. That was the defence used by BCCI officials to justify racist crowd behaviour in Vadodara and in Game 6 in Nagpur.
Symonds had complained of racial taunts in Vadodara while further racial abuse was recorded by an Australian film crew in Nagpur.
After the Nagpur clash, Symonds said he was upset and disappointed his complaint of racism had been denied by Indian officials.
"He shouldn't be disappointed. The truth is the truth. What can you do? I think we will soon find out it was a misunderstanding," Shah had said.
CA had consistently rejected calls for it to denounce BCCI denials that Symonds had been racially abused in Vadodara.
It also refused to make a formal complaint to the ICC on the matter.
In their joint statement last night, Pawar and O'Connor said: "All cricket nations have to be on guard to make sure the fun does not cross the boundary into acceptable behaviour.
"If it does, it is our expectation that the specifics of the ICC anti-racism code be enforced without fear or favour.
"Players of all countries have a right to expect they will be treated with respect wherever they play in the world.
"Spectators, team officials or players who are concerned about inappropriate behaviour of other people at venues should draw that behaviour to the attention of venue authorities immediately so that it can be assessed on the spot and, if appropriate, addressed immediately, rather than being reviewed via media reports published well after the crowd has gone home."
Australian captain Ricky Ponting said the behaviour of the fans wasn't acceptable.
"Some of the stuff that went on today was totally unnecessary,'' said Ponting.
"Look, I just hope that does not happen again in another cricket venue that I play in because it leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouth.
"I am sure there will be a lot of embarrassed people around this country as well to know that this stuff has happened again at one of their cricket venues.
"It is done now, hopefully in the Twenty20 match on Saturday it does not happen there.''
Symonds was named man of the series at the post-match awards ceremony following the game but did not attend the post-match press conference following today's dramas.
Ponting said the behaviour of members of the crowd towards Symonds was unacceptable.
"I believe there has been a bit of action taken from what I understand with a few members of the crowd being arrested and taken away from the ground,'' he said.
"That sort of stuff as we all know and all should understand is totally unacceptable at any place at any time, not only in sport but in society in general.
"To have that sort of stuff happen to him again today for the second time is disappointing particularly with how much has been made of it over the last few days.''
- AAP
