DIARY
TREVOR McDONALD It is probably nobody's fault but my own that I was born and brought up in a world of gentle innocence, but, England's Euro 2000 victory against Germany notwith- standing, it has been a terrible time for sport. I spent much of last week reeling from the shock of the confession of the former South African cricket captain, Han- sit Cronje, that he accepted large sums of money to throw matches and that, even worse, he tried to persuade his team mates to join the conspiracy. Cronje's disclosures — and no one believes we've yet heard the full story — have not only dealt a body blow to the pride and passion of South African sport, but have also tarnished the image of a glorious and gentlemanly pur- suit, perhaps for ever. I say this for several reasons. It is clear, for example, that some officials — and South Africa's Dr Ali Bacher has confessed as much — were aware of allegations of corruption in the game for many years. Nothing was done. And listening to other officials and com- mentators, the view seems to be that, with a modicum of spin and a healthy dose of old-fashioned complacency, cricket will somehow survive. I am not too sure. Why should people pay good money to watch Test matches, the results of which are pre- determined by bookmakers somewhere on the Indian subcontinent? It makes abso- lutely no sense to me.
Iam relieved that my compatriot, the brilliant writer C.L.R. James, is no longer with us. The news of what has happened to his beloved cricket would have been too much for him. James wrote Beyond a Boundary, one of the finest cricket books ever. In it he describes a visit to America in the 1950s when, as he says, 'Day after day there appeared in the press authenticated reports that university basketball teams had sold out games or played for results arranged beforehand, in return for money from bookmakers.' He says that, although he was shocked, he didn't immediately challenge his American hosts for fear of making the mistake 'that so many otherwise intelligent Europeans make of trying to fit that country into European standards'. He couldn't hold his tongue for ever, though. This is what he wrote: But this was too much — how could these young men behave in that way? Before I could choose my words I found myself saying that adults in Trinidad or in Britain, in the world of business or private life, could or would do anything, more or less. But in the world of sport, certainly in cricket, despite the tricks teams played upon one another, I had never heard of any such thing and did not believe it was possible- What would James have thought, I wonder, if he knew that a cricketer representing not his school or university, but his country, was guilty of taking money to throw games?
Ifear that those who administer our football have been complacent for far too long, and in the wake of the brutish behaviour of England fans in Europe before and during Euro 2000 the day of total isolation for our national team might not be very far off. Whenever these riots occur in the cities of other countries, I ask myself a simple question. Why should any self-respecting municipal authority in Europe ever take the risk of allowing Eng- land to play football in their city only to have its public squares and bars defiled and wrecked by mindless louts hiding their deep-seated criminality behind the mask of support for the England team? If, as in Copenhagen recently, the police adopt a softly-softly approach, they get the blame. If, on the other hand, they bring out the army, they're accused of provocation. But, for too long, too little has been done to curb the activities of the hooligan element in Britain itself. Football grounds were, until recently, allowed to become cesspools of racist abuse and obscenity. All was excused in the name of tribal instincts and high spirits. That has never impressed me. Two seasons ago I took my then ten-year- old son to the opening fixture between Arsenal and Manchester United at Wemb- ley and I vowed never to do it again, because of the language to which Jack was exposed. How David Beckham manages to put up with all those chants about his mar- ried life, I shall never know. They had a go at him again after England's opening match in Euro 2000 and from his quite understandable, but much criticised, ges- ture to the ranting mob, it wouldn't sur- prise me if he decides to offer his brilliance to a team on the Continent.
The sadness of it all is that Euro 2000 has been such an exciting tournament. With very few exceptions, the matches have been keenly contested and fun to watch. Having gorged myself for countless hours on this terrestrial television feast, I got the idea of treating my son to a trip to Belgium or Holland to watch one of the games. To my shame I found myself requesting tickets for any game in which England were not involved. The terrible thing is that no one in my office thought I was unwise or too cautious. My colleagues confessed that they would do the same. In the light of all this it's still amusing to hear English football officials talk about the possibility of winning the right to stage the next World Cup in 2006. Five years is a long way off and a lot can change in that time; my plan remains to leave the country for the duration, if by any chance our bid is successful.
Has anyone noticed the studied regu- larity with which London streets are ripped up these days? Across several hun- dred yards and in the busiest thorough- fares the diggers move in with their cones and miles of wire-fencing, open up large holes and close significant parts of major roads for months. And just when you think it's over and it's safe to venture out again, someone else comes along and ploughs into the same swathes of tarmac and pave- ment all over again. What, amid the annoyance, is so entirely charming is that no one complains, or if they do it would seem to make very little difference. The latest tendency is to close major bridges for weeks, with never the slightest expla- nation of what's been done or when they're likely to be reopened. Hammer- smith Bridge in south-west London was bombed recently and perhaps does need some repairs. Judging by the time it stayed closed to normal traffic the last time, when only its safety was being assessed, the auguries aren't good.
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