On Wednesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said they are seeking some help with Interpol, the organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation, in order to deal with the corruption issue in cricket as soon as possible. The cooperation was discussed during ICC Anti-Corruption Unit general manager Alex Marshall paid a visit to Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France.
In a media release regarding the same, Marshall said,
“The ICC and Interpol are keen on working together and our meetings in Lyon last week were productive. The ICC has an excellent relationship with law enforcement agencies in a number of countries but working with Interpol means we are connecting with their 194 members.”
Marshall also revealed that they have taken that step in order to make sure that players are better educated about the corruptors and Interpol’s vast network would be helpful in doing the same.
ALSO READ: Kohli and Bumrah Maintains Top Spots In ICC ODI Rankings
ICC ACU GM further added,
“Our focus is on the education of players and prevention and disruption of corruptors. Where our inquiries reveal criminal offenses have been committed, we will refer this to the relevant law enforcement organizations and this makes Interpol an important partner for us.”
Interpol’s Criminal Networks unit assistant director Jose de Gracia said the organization will be glad to assist the ICC.
De Gracia elaborated,
“Sport brings people together, but criminals looking to make large profits can undermine its integrity. Our meetings and cooperation with partners such as the ICC help us shape a collaborative, holistic response.”
Cricket has been fighting the threat of match-fixing for more than a couple of decades now. Some of the biggest names in the game have often been accused and even found guilty of bookmakers giving them bribes, with the list including the likes of late South African captain Hansie Cronje, his compatriot Herschelle Gibbs and former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin.
ALSO READ: India retain their ICC Test Championship mace
The most recent case of proven corruption in international games came to light in 2010 when the Pakistani team was accused of spot-fixing during a Test match against England.
