Cronje may be sued by colleagues and cricket bosses

Paul Martin Cainer Southern Africa Correspondent for rediff.com

Former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje faces threats of civil claims running into millions of rands from past and present team-mates who suffered financial losses in the match- fixing scandal.

He could also be sued by the United Cricket Board. Losses include huge legal costs incurred during the King Commission and the money Herschelle Gibbs and other players could have earned if they had not been suspended.

Gibbs' sentence will be announced within hours (Monday) and is expected to ban him from all forms of cricket till the end of this year. He has not been picked for the three indoor matches against Australia, or for the triangular tournament that SA has just won against Pakistan and new Zealand in Singapore.

In law Gibbs could prove that his captain was responsible for much of the loss he has incurred and will incur. That could also include not just his match fees but also the loss of earnings from endorsements.

Dr Ali Bacher, the United Cricket Board's managing director, says that the possibility of players and the board instituting claims for damages against Cronje can not be excluded at this stage...

The UCB has so far managed tor retain its main commercial sponsors, but these contracts are under review. Meanwhile, Chapter two of former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje's television revelations on Friday night barely touched on the crucial issue of cricket matchfixing or Cronje's involvement in it.

Cronje made the cheeky suggestion that he would be happy to settle for a similar punishment to that meted out on Australians Shane Warne and Mark Waugh. The three-part series is being broadcast by the M-Net pay channel.

The sycophantic nature of the in-depth interviews was enhanced by the background tune played throughout: "What a wonderful world." There were beautiful pictures of Cronje and wide walking along the beach, hand in hand. And much rallying-round by his family.

Captain Cronje was able to assure his supporters that although his playing days may be over, his future still lies in South Africa. "We've got no intentions of emigrating," he said. He also says he has no intention to write an autobiography at this stage. "One has to wait for the last chapters of life to be written before thinking about writing a book," he said.

Cronje's lawyers actually approached the channel to make the series. An undisclosed sum of money was paid to Cronje for this privilege. Sports Minister Ncgonde balfour has expressed his dismay at Cronje's decision to make money out of his infamy, even before the Commission has finished its work. That resumes on October 2, with Cronje to be recalled during the session.

Paul Martin Cainer is CEO, Live Africa News Networks

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