The problems won’t go away for controversial cricketer Shane Warne, who is facing a training ban during his 12-month drug suspension under pressure from the Australian government.
The disgraced 33-year-old Test leg-spinner may be forced to stop training with the national and Victorian state teams and even his Melbourne club side after new advice to Cricket Australia (CA) from the federal government.
CA said on Thursday it would seek urgent talks with the government-funded Australian Sports Commission (ASC) next week over the tough stance that it was unacceptable for Warne to train while serving his 12-month ban for taking a banned diuretic.
Warne’s brother and manager Jason Warne said he was very disappointed at the government’s advice.
”It’s something we have to look into, because it conflicts with the information we’ve had over the last few months,” Jason said on Thursday.
Federal Sports Minister Rod Kemp said in Parliament last week he would ask the ASC to consult with CA to make sure the highest anti-doping standards were maintained in the Warne case.
This latest blow for Warne will be high on the agenda at CA’s two-day board meeting, which starts in Melbourne on Friday.
CA chief executive James Sutherland is also likely to meet with the ASC and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA).
”Our own interpretation has been that training can be permissible in certain circumstances, such as when a suspended player is giving rather than receiving help, as long as there is no material assistance such as travel, accommodation or provision of equipment,” Sutherland said in a statement.
”Cricket Australia, ACA and the ASC have the same starting point, which is a determination that there is no place for doping in cricket, but implementation of this ideal needs discussion.”
CA receives federal government funding for game development and is unlikely to take on the ASC if next week’s meeting does not change the advice.
Kemp signalled the government’s hard-line stance last week.
”I believe that playing in a charity game and taking part in practice with the national team is contrary to the anti-doping codes,” he said.
Warne had trained with the Victorian team this week and was planning to work out with the national squad.
His 12-month ban expires on February 10.
ACA chief executive Tim May had been seeking clarification from Sutherland on Thursday on Warne’s status, after the CA boss was quoted as saying he was ”not comfortable” with the prospect of the leg-spinner training publicly in Australian squad workouts.
An arbitration case last month cleared Warne to play in charity matches during his suspension and his advisers will go over that ruling to see if it also covers training.
It continues to be a bad month for Warne, after South African woman Helen Cohen Alon accused him of sending her raunchy text messages.
A Melbourne stripper has also approached media outlets with allegations of an affair with the leg-spinner.
This follows an admission in August 2000 that Warne made lewd telephone calls to a nurse while playing county cricket in England.
He subsequently lost the Australian Test team vice-captaincy over the incident. — Sapa-AFP