CSA suspended by proteas Olympic body, Team may miss ICC events

Cape Town:The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has suspended the board of Cricket South Africa (CSA) for a period of one month and took control of cricket in the country.

SASCOC, which is the controlling body for all high-performance sport in South Africa, have also instructed Cricket South Africa's board and senior executives, including acting CEO Kugandrie Govender to step aside till the investigation. 

SASCOC will now appoint a task team to conduct an investigation into the affairs at CSA. The panel will make findings and recommendations to SASCOC and CSA's Members' Council within one month, of the finalisation of the members of the task team, Cricinfo reported.

Along with Govender, company secretary Welsh Gwaza and acting chief commercial officer Thamie Mthembu will no longer be involved in the day-to-day running of CSA. 

CSA, in a statement issued on Friday morning said it "does not agree" with the decision and will be taking legal advice on "the basis on which SASCOC has sought to intervene in the business affairs of CSA." 

Despite that, CSA has committed to engaging with SASCOC to "find common ground with it in the best interests of cricket." CSA's Board and Members Council will hold a workshop this weekend to "discuss critical matters."

SASCOC took the decision unanimously at a board meeting on Tuesday because of "many instances of maladministration and malpractice," at CSA which has brought cricket into disrepute.

CSA has been plunged into crisis following a damning report on conduct within the organisation that led to the dismissal of chief executive Thabang Moroe in August, nine months after he was first suspended, but which the board says will not be made public.

"SASCOC has attempted to address these issues in two meetings with the CSA Board: one was exploratory, and the other failed to take place mainly because of the fact that CSA failed to make the Fundudzi Forensic Report available to the SASCOC Board despite promises and undertakings by CSA to do so," a SASCOC letter to CSA's Members' Counci read.

"CSA is in receipt of our letter which records that the Board's decision to make the said report available only on a limited basis to the President and Board members of SASCOC, is wholly unreasonable and irrational given the apparent nature and scope of the report," it added.

This new development will not affect South African players' participation at the IPL or other competitions as of now.(UNI)