The British government is considering stepping up the pressure on Zimbabwe by banning its athletes from competing in Britain, the BBC has reported.
The Inside Sport programme reported that the ban could notably prevent the Zimbabwe cricket team from touring England next year.
Citing ”Downing Street sources”, the programme said that Prime Minister Gordon Brown was keen to take a tough stance against Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and that banning Zimbabweans from competing on British soil could be part of that.
It was not clear if such a move could also have a knock-on effect on other sports figures from Zimbabwe, such as Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari, veteran golfer Nick Price or reigning Wimbledon women’s doubles champion Cara Black.
A compromise could be to only stop Zimbabwe’s cricketers from coming to Britain but this would run into strong opposition from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The Zimbabweans are due to play two five-day matches and three one-day internationals in England next summer.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would have to pay an estimated £225 000 in compensation under International Cricket Council rules if the one-day matches were cancelled.
The ECB have already held talks with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union to try to reach a financial settlement to call off the tour.
There would be no penalty for scrapping the five-day games as Zimbabwe is no longer classed as a Test-playing nation, their side having been torn apart by internal strife.
The BBC said that the 2012 London Olympics would not be affected because the British government has signed the host city contract that guarantees entry into the country for anybody with International Olympic Committee (IOC) accreditation.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: ”There are ongoing discussions between the government and the ECB, but no decisions have been made.”
An ECB spokesperson said the board would not comment until it had discussed the matter with government officials.
Last month Foreign Secretary David Miliband said a Zimbabwean tour of England would be inappropriate.
”The situation in Zimbabwe is obviously deeply concerning. I think that bilateral cricket tours at the moment don’t send the right message about our concern,” he said.
It has been reported in the past that Brown wants to ban the tour in protest at Mugabe’s dictatorial policies and human rights abuses. — AFP
