South Africa government suspends CSA, takes control of cricket in country

South Africa government has reportedly taken control of the South African cricket board (CSA) over a pending outcome of an investigation on maladministration. The move could cause a breach of the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules on government interference and result in kicking out of Cricket South Africa from the international level, reported Cricbuzz.

It was reported that as per letters from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) to CSA, the body demanded “the CSA board and those senior executives who serve ex-officio on the board (the company secretary, the acting CEO, the CFO and the COO) are directed to step aside from the administration of CSA on full pay” pending the outcome of a month-long investigation by a task team into what SASCOC termed “many instances of maladministration and malpractice that have occurred since at least December 2019”.

The letter further read: "This has manifestly caused great concern and consternation amongst your own members, former and current members of the national team of the Proteas, stakeholders, sponsors, and members of the cricket-loving public.

"There can be no doubt that this has caused cricket to lose the trust and confidence of members of the public, stakeholders, sponsors and the players represented by SACA (the South African Cricketers' Association). All this has brought cricket into disrepute."

SASCOC further pointed towards CSA’s mismanagement towards a forensic report, reflecting as the state of affairs in the organization.

"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... forensic report available to the SASCOC board despite promises and undertakings by CSA to do so. 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."