SPORTS WORLD: 8 'uncivilised' nations will assemble in Karachi for SAFF Championship

While the "civilised" cricket-playing countries have refused to play in Karachi on "security reasons", eight "uncivilised" South Asian nations will gather in Karachi for the SAFF Championship, starting from Dec.7.
Not agreeing with the claims of the "civilised" nations that Karachi is an unsafe place to play, the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has authorised the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to host the 11-day SAFF Championship 2005 in Karachi.
Before awarding the championship to the Karachi, SAFF Secretary General Sirajul Islam Bachchu, along with two other officials, twice visited the People's Sports Complex in June and August.
The SAFF officials were satisfied with the law and order situation in Karachi, which was humming with all sorts of activities, including sports and cultural activities.
The SAFF Executive Committee, in its meeting held on Sept. 29 at Singapore, reviewed the report of Bachchu and his colleagues, approved Karachi as the venue and the draws were taken out in the presence of Asian football Confederation (AFC) General Secretary Peter Velappan, SAFF President Ganesh Thapa and representatives from all the eight member countries.
The SAFF Championship will be the sixth regional football tournament, fourth to be played under title " SAFF Championship", to be staged at People's Sports Complex.
The meeting was told that the AFC will engage all neutral match officials and the SAFF will have full control over technical aspects of the 15-match event and its commercial partners, World Sports Group (WSG), will enjoy all commercial and TV rights. However, the SAFF and WSG will work hand-in-hand with the Pakistan football Federation (PFF).
A BEFITTING SLAP The SAFF Executive Committee's decision to choose Karachi for the championship is a befitting slap from the "uncivilised" South Asian nations on the face of "Civilised" cricket playing counties, who raised the bogey of "security reasons" and terrorist activities.
Not realising the fact that the entire world, including the metropolitan cities like New York, target of 9/11 incident, and London scene of bomb blasts, are within the reach of the "terrorists".
1972 MUNICH OLYMPIC It is incorrect to assume that world was safe before 9/11. The "civilised" cricketing like countries -- Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and even India - are reminded that on Sept. 5, 1972, a small group of heavily armed Palestinian freedom-fighters, belonging to "Black September" group of Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), stormed into an apartment in the Olympic village of the German city of Munich, killing 11 Israeli athletes.
Despite this horrible incident, no country refused to take part in the remaining events of the Olympic Games, which continued according to schedule.
Madrid and Barcelona are targets of Basque separatist terrorist activities for decades, but major hockey and football events are regularly held there and teams from Australia, England, New Zealand and from other "civilised country" never refused to play there for "security reasons."
Sri Lanka, struggling to restore peace with the separatist Tamil Tigers for year, but every team is willing to play there. Similarly, the unfriendly attitude of the crowds in some major cricket centres in India has never been troublesome for cricket's super power Australia, England and their junior partners New Zealand, South Africa consider the Indian cities safe for travelling
The Cricket Australian (CA) was the first to raise the bogey of safety concerns in Pakistan. Later, England, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies joined the CA.
The Australians, who expressed concern over the bomb blasts in Lahore and were about to call of Australia "A" team match, but they never bothered about the series of bomb blasts in London and completed their against England.
England player Andrew Flintoff was shot at by some one from the crowd during a match at New Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla ground in January, 2002, but the honoured member of the "civilised" nation has preferred to hush up the case as the incident occurred in a non-Muslim country.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which made Karachi and Peshawar scapegoat on "security reasons", not only kept the Flintoff issue secret until Flintoff himself disclosed the ugly incident in his autobiography. Even the ECB did not take up the issue with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Flintoff wrote: "Though skipper Nasser Hussain got very heated about it in the middle and Phil Neale, the tour manager, came to find out what was going on, but the whole thing seemed to get swept under the carpet." So these are the two faces of "civilised" nations.
Indian cricket stadia are heavily guarded during international games due to the huge crowds that turn up. Spectators are barred from even carrying water bottles and mobile phones inside the venue.
DELHI BLASTS One may ask the ECB what would be its reaction to the series of bomb blasts in the Indian capital New Delhi, killing no less than 68? Would the England team refuse to embark on the proposed Indian tour early next year.
Following the three powerful bomb blasts in busy marketplace, not far from Ferozeshah Kotla ground, the law-enforcement agencies throughout India, especially the major cricket centres like Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai etc., have been placed on red alert.
The ECB will definitely express its apprehensions regarding security concerns in India, but unlike the passive attitude of the ad hoc administration of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the BCCI authorities, it is certain, would not succumb to the ECB pressure for change of the venues.
Even the ECB knows that the BCCI is an elected body and its chief may take dare a unilateral decision, forcing the ECB to accept the assurances given by the BCCI and the Indian government and play the matches at the allotted venues.
SAFF CHAMPIONSHIP Anyhow, the "uncivilised' nations of South Asia realise the fact that not only their region, but the entire globe is mined by the "unknown terrorsts," who have the capability of striking anywhere any time they like.
Hats off to the SAFF Executive Committee for not singling out Karachi for the so-called security reasons and selected the city for the eight-nation championship.
According to information, the AFC will engage all neutral match officials and the SAFF will have full control over technical aspects of the 15-match event and its commercial partners, World Sports Group (WSG), will enjoy all commercial and TV rights. However, the SAFF and WSG will work hand-in-hand with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
The Dhaka-based SAFF is running the SAFF biannually to promote the game in South Asia. Launched at Lahore's Railway Stadium, the first two editions for South Asian soccer countries were arranged as SAARC Gold Cup in 1993 and 1995. Since 1997 onwards it is known as the SAFF Championship.
Siraj Bachchu, also Vice-President of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), said SAFF would extend all-out support and cooperation to the PFF to ensure that the event was well arranged.
Besides hosts Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan will take part in the event.