Spot-fixing/Match-fixing scandal

[Moin91]

Amir, Asif, Butt questioned by British police

Saturday, 04 Sep, 2010

LONDON: British police questioned Mohammd Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt on Friday in connection with spot-fixing claims.

Bowlers Amir and Asif and Test captain Butt were all released without charge after voluntarily appearing at a police station near the “home of cricket”, Lord’s in north London, their lawyer said.

“At no time were they placed under arrest, they were free to leave at any time and they have answered all of the questions that were put to them and have been released without charge or conditions,” lawyer Elizabeth Robertson said.

Aamer – at 18 one of the game’s hottest talents – Asif, 27, and Butt, 25, did not speak to the media when they appeared at Kilburn police station separately throughout the day.

Meanwhile, Pakistani High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan said Friday the International Cricket Council was wrong to suspend the players while the police investigation was ongoing. He has previously suggested the trio might have been set up.

“I met the cricketers for two hours, cross-questioned them, got to the bottom of it and concluded that they were innocent,” Hasan told BBC radio.

“The ICC had no business to take this action. The ICC is just playing to the public gallery.”

Hasan suggested that Indian bookmakers had a part to play in the affair.

The News of the World newspaper alleged that it paid Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, 150,000 pounds (185,000 euros, 230,000 dollars) in return for advance knowledge of pre-arranged no-balls – normally accidental – which could then be bet upon.

The 35-year-old has since been arrested and bailed by British police.

DAWN.COM | Cricket | Amir, Asif, Butt questioned by British police

 

[duhastmish]

IF RANDIV OF LANKA .

CAN THROW A NOBALL INTENTIONALLY AND GET AWAY WITH IT. FOR A SMALL FINE.

why cant amir or asif ????
this is way too much for me.

poor soul threw a noball and had to pay for it . only if he knew in bookie land they will pay him instead of fine.

is'nt it intentional they made him throw a noball many people lost their bet by sehwag not getting a century. i think there must be bigger money at the table.

 

[saurabh]

IF RANDIV OF LANKA .

CAN THROW A NOBALL INTENTIONALLY AND GET AWAY WITH IT. FOR A SMALL FINE.

why cant amir or asif ????
this is way too much for me.

poor soul threw a noball and had to pay for it . only if he knew in bookie land they will pay him instead of fine.

is'nt it intentional they made him throw a noball many people lost their bet by sehwag not getting a century. i think there must be bigger money at the table.

His intention was not to loose the match. That is all that counts!

 

[duhastmish]

His intention was not to loose the match. That is all that counts!

a couple of noball in a test match dont really matter as much people made it sound like.

its about corruption - i.e intentionally making a change in course of game to suit it your need or profit somebody.

 

[Undivided Kashmir]

Amir, Asif, Butt questioned by British police

Saturday, 04 Sep, 2010


“I met the cricketers for two hours, cross-questioned them, got to the bottom of it and concluded that they were innocent,” Hasan told BBC radio.

DAWN.COM | Cricket | Amir, Asif, Butt questioned by British police

This is the best part of the report - He spoke to them and cross examined them and on his own determined that they are innocent and strat blaming others for conspiracy.

This joker is doing more harm to Pak cricket and Pak Image then anyone else.

 

[COLDHEARTED AVIATOR]

Just saw the breaking news now....PCB now says players took money from Majeed..but for sponsorship deals.


I think PCB is making a laughing stock of itself now...i think you should support till the time it becomes evident that you are supporting the wrong side.

 

[notsuperstitious]

Just saw the breaking news now....PCB now says players took money from Majeed..but for sponsorship deals.


I think PCB is making a laughing stock of itself now...i think you should support till the time it becomes evident that you are supporting the wrong side.

DAWN.COM | Cricket | ?Players were unaware of Majeed?s illegal activities?
Reports in British newspapers last week suggested that 50,000 pounds was recovered from Butt by police.

“Majeed is their marketing agent and the money recovered from players could be paid on sponsorship deals and it doesn’t prove a crime,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi told AFP from London.

So Butt recd 50K GBP in cash (and marked currency, according to one report) for sponsorship deals!

This is going the mumbai attacks way, we'll take a fuuulllll llloooonnnggg circle before we come around! Some of us will and the rest will find solace in conspiracy theories. Life will go on, nothing will change fundamentally That weird cocktail of pride over honor!

 

[WAQAS119]

Just saw the breaking news now....PCB now says players took money from Majeed..but for sponsorship deals.

I think PCB is making a laughing stock of itself now...i think you should support till the time it becomes evident that you are supporting the wrong side.

I guess, they had already made public that Majeed was their agent! If now they say players took money from Majeed for sponsorship deals than whats new and strange in that

 

[Marxist]

London: British tabloid News of the World, which busted the 'spot-fixing' scam, said on Saturday that it would come up with more revelations on Sunday.

The tabloid last Sunday created a storm in cricket world when it claimed that Pakistan pacers - Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - were paid to deliberately bowl no-balls on the opening day of the fourth Test against England at Lord's last week. It also revealed that team's Test captain Salman Butt was also involved in the episode.

Asif, Amir and Butt had their mobile phones confiscated by police, who also searched their hotel rooms and questioned players on several occasions later. Marked currency that allegedly exchaged hands during the sting operation was also recovered from Salman Butt and sent for forensic investigation.

After a lackadaisical approach from the Pakistan Cricket board (PCB), the game's governing body - International Cricket Council (ICC) - took a stern decision to suspend the players from playing any international cricket until investigations were complete.

The bookie involved in the fixing scam - Mazhar Majeed, who was caught in the sting operation saying when the no-balls would be bowled - was twice arrested by Scotland Yard but released on bail on both occasions.

Match-fixing: Tabloid to reveal more - News - Cricket Next

 

[lalluyadav]

London: British tabloid News of the World, which busted the 'spot-fixing' scam, said on Saturday that it would come up with more revelations on Sunday.

The tabloid last Sunday created a storm in cricket world when it claimed that Pakistan pacers - Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - were paid to deliberately bowl no-balls on the opening day of the fourth Test against England at Lord's last week. It also revealed that team's Test captain Salman Butt was also involved in the episode.

Asif, Amir and Butt had their mobile phones confiscated by police, who also searched their hotel rooms and questioned players on several occasions later. Marked currency that allegedly exchaged hands during the sting operation was also recovered from Salman Butt and sent for forensic investigation.

After a lackadaisical approach from the Pakistan Cricket board (PCB), the game's governing body - International Cricket Council (ICC) - took a stern decision to suspend the players from playing any international cricket until investigations were complete.

The bookie involved in the fixing scam - Mazhar Majeed, who was caught in the sting operation saying when the no-balls would be bowled - was twice arrested by Scotland Yard but released on bail on both occasions.

Match-fixing: Tabloid to reveal more - News - Cricket Next

so wat next?

 

[Marxist]

LONDON (AP) -- The captain of Pakistan's limited overs teams has apologized to cricket fans for the controversy that erupted after three of his teammates were accused of match fixing.

Shahid Afridi is leading the team for its two Twenty20 and five one-day matches against England and says "on behalf of these boys ... I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all cricketing nations."

Cricket's ruling body has called the allegations the most serious to hit the sport for a decade and suspended Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir while they are investigated under the sport's anti-corruption code.

The three were released without criminal charges after being questioned by police. They could be banned from cricket for life if found guilty.

Pakistan cricket captain apologizes for fixing allegations - More Sports - SI.com

so wat next?

no idea...

 

[Gentle Typhoon]

The worst thing is that people have started apologising for them before they have even done so themselves. The approach seems endemic to the way the country operates. Just once could the cheats get what they deserve? It is a very depressing situation. Is Sharad Pawar the PCB chief or team manager or captain? You have no one to blame but yourselves. Not a good time for PCB to take 'Pangaa' with Pawar, He is very powerful leader in Indian politics + BCCI/ICC president.

WAQAS - Endorsements/sponsorship doesn't pay in £50 cash notes. No one would pay you 50,000 pounds without any paperwork mentioning it, easiest lie to catch! The last I heard the Salman Butt's excuse was, 'It is for my sister's wedding!'

There was no need to politicize the issue, Pakistani High Commissioner's comments will backfire.

Ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon slammed the players and Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan.

"We can't have national icons jeopardising the standing of the nation because of rash and brash youngsters who want to make money quickly,"

Diplomats at the Pakistani legation in Belgravia are less then amused by his stunning remarks with one of them saying that he felt "depressed" by Hasan's statements to the media.

"We are trying to get him (HC Hasan) off the TV screens, but there's no stopping him."

"I suppose it is quite funny for outsiders, but the rest of us find it embarrassing. Anyway, it'll backfire, I have my own contacts among journalists and I am told they (the News of the World) will produce more things on Sunday,"

 

[Spring Onion]

ISLAMABAD: Three Pakistani cricketers - captain Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer - under the scanner for spot-fixing, have reportedly admitted before the Scotland Yard inquiry that the British currency recovered from their hotel rooms was given to them by bookie Mazhar Majeed.

However, the players have maintained that the money was given to them on account of sponsorship contracts that they had signed with different commercial organisations, GEO TV reported.

The players also stated that Majeed was working as their agent to secure sponsorship deals and they did not know that he was a book-maker.

The trio appeared before the Scotland Yard inquiry in London on Friday. The investigation has started following a report in the tabloid News of the World that the players bowled deliberate no-balls in the Lord's Test match after taking money from a book-maker.

The legal advisor of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Tafazzul Rizvi confirmed that the players had given this statement.

"They denied that this money was given to them for spot-fixing like bowling no-balls etc. The players also showed their written contracts for these sponsorship deals to the police. That is why they were allowed to go without any charge," Rizvi pointed out.

Rizvi said he was not trying to defend the players but only giving the information he had from the investigation process.

"The players choose their agents on their own and the board has nothing to do with it," he stressed.

Responding to reports that the players were asked to remain away from Majeed before the England tour, he said the board gave out a set of instructions to players before every tour and there was nothing specific about it this time round.

"The players have contested the allegation and also volunteered themselves for police investigations," Rizvi said.

He rubbished the reports that captain Salman Butt had taken the money from Majeed allegedly to arrange dowry of his sister.

"He does not have to do that," Rizvi emphatically said.

Asked whether the players would contest the allegations within a 14-day period, Rizvi said they had to decide and defend themselves.

"As per rules, the PCB can monitor the situation and a board representative can be present through this process, but the players will have to challenge it on their own," he said.

Read more: Tainted trio admit Majeed paid money, says Geo TV - Top Stories - Cricket - Sports - The Times of India Tainted trio admit Majeed paid money, says PCB - Top Stories - Cricket - Sports - The Times of India

 

[Gentle Typhoon]

Endorsements/sponsorship doesn't pay in £50 cash notes. No one would pay you 50,000 pounds without any paperwork mentioning it, easiest lie to catch! The last I heard the Salman Butt's excuse was, 'It is for my sister's wedding!'

 

[WAQAS119]

Endorsements/sponsorship doesn't pay in £50 cash notes. No one would pay you 50,000 pounds without any paperwork mentioning it, easiest lie to catch!

You are absolutely correct my friend! This is a genuine question that requires answer.
But have you read this::

The players also showed their written contracts for these sponsorship deals to the police. That is why they were allowed to go without any charge," Rizvi pointed out.

The last I heard the Salman Butt's excuse was, 'It is for my sister's wedding!'

this is new to me.