Boucher admits to racist behaviour towards Paul Adams and others....
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/sjn- ... ssion=trueMark Boucher, South Africa's head coach, has admitted the national team culture in his playing days was exclusionary and blamed it on a lack of "maturity and consciousness," in the immediate post-Apartheid era. He apologised for his role in causing any offence to or discriminating against team-mates and committed to creating a more inclusive space going forward.
Boucher submitted a 14-page affidavit to Cricket South Africa's Social Justice and Nation-Building committee containing "general response," to implications of being involved in racial discrimination. He intends to submit a second supplementary affidavit dealing with specific issues at the conclusion of the hearings. He has also made himself available for one-on-one discussions with former team-mates in a bid to mend relationships.
While Boucher's submission dealt with broad issues of team-culture, he went into detail about the allegations made by Paul Adams, who told the SJN he was nicknamed brown s*** by his team-mates in the late 1990s. Boucher explained that the nickname was used at fines' meetings - team celebrations after series wins - but that he "can categorically say that did not give Mr Adams the name "brown s***" and "does not know who gave him the name."
However, Boucher conceded that he was part of a group of players that sang a song in which Adams' was called "brown s***" and that some of what took place at those post-match celebrations was "totally inappropriate, unacceptable and in retrospect, understandably offensive." He said Boucher said he "deeply regrets and apologises for the part I played in joining in with my team-mates in singing offensive songs or using offensive nicknames."
Adams' testimony, and that of other players including Roger Telemachus, Loots Bosman and Ashwell Prince, spoke of a team culture that made them feel unwelcome and where issues of the country's segregated past were undiscussed. Boucher echoed that and provided the view that the formerly privileged, white players were unprepared for post-Apartheid challenges. "We were not only naive but were also ill-equipped to deal with the new environment in which we found ourselves," Boucher's statement read. "To my certain knowledge there had not been any briefing or discussion by CSA as to how we deal with the legacy of Apartheid, how players and management should deal with the additional pressures placed on them by the country and the media, how we ensure that there is equality, respect, empathy and inclusiveness in the team. There was no guidance, no culture discussions, no open fora and no-one appointed by CSA to deal with awkwardness or questions or pressures that were being experienced by the players and, in particular, by the players of colour."
I can't say I'm surprised. That's why I had little sympathy for a certain Saffer duo who left SA for county cricket in England not so long ago....
Nobody has a stance quite like the mighty Shivnarine....
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