Al Jazeera defends cricket match-fixing film after ICC criticism

Al Jazeera has hit attend at criticism from world cricket’s governing physique, the ICC, for now not sharing evidence of match-fixing earlier than broadcasting a documentary that has made headlines world huge.

Alex Marshall, the head of the Global Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit, complained that Al Jazeera’s refusal to hand over  all « unedited and unseen evidence » had « hampered » the ICC’s investigation ».

Nonetheless a spokesman for Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit acknowledged the ICC’s complaints confirmed « a failure to treasure investigative journalism; no self-respecting media entity on the earth releases its evidence to any celebration pre-newsletter ».

The spokesman acknowledged the criticism furthermore « overlooks the indisputable reality that considerations about … the ICC’s possess governance of the game are a well-known theme [and cause for concern] in the programme itself ».

The documentary, Cricket’s Match-Fixers, screened on Sunday and uncovered long-established corruption in the game.

On this scene from Cricket’s Match-Fixers, our undercover reporter is supplied giant returns for placing bets [Al Jazeera]

In one of many investigation’s many revelations, match-fixers in Sri Lanka described to an undercover reporter how they doctored two Take a look at match pitches at Galle Global Stadium to invent money from having a bet.

Issues regarding the condition of the pitch at one of those matches – Sri Lanka versus Australia in 2016 – were acknowledged to were raised with the ICC on the time. The realm’s cricket authority took no motion.

The ICC has to this level failed to respond entirely to ideas made by a match-fixer in the programme that his prison syndicate bribed anti-corruption officers.

The Investigative Unit’s spokesman added: « As our documentary reveals, Al Jazeera is entirely committed to exposing having a bet corruption in cricket and we now like made it decided that we are going to co-feature entirely with the linked authorities. »

The spokesman acknowledged the unit has to « admire the indisputable reality that there are ongoing sensitive correct concerns, including potential prison investigations into the match-fixing allegations in Sri Lanka and India.

« It’s a long way on this context that we are all in favour of the ICC’s request for our unedited self-discipline topic. We is now not going to capture any steps that could per chance perhaps compromise any civil or prison court docket cases that will put together. »

The Al Jazeera investigation chanced on evidence of many various forms of match-fixing, including web page-fixing, fixing outcomes, pitch-fixing and plans to space up a pretend match deliberate completely for the applications of match-fixing. 

The documentary revealed and named fixers, ancient world gamers and officers all in favour of match-fixing.

Marshall admitted: « The snort of the programme, is for superb purposeful to the investigation. »

Cricket’s Match-Fixers is readily in the market to head attempting to accept on-line and could per chance perhaps also be considered on Al Jazeera on the following cases:

Wednesday, Can also 30 – 06:00 GMT

Thursday, Can also 31 – 12:00 GMT

Friday, June 1 – 20:00 GMT

Saturday, June 2 – 01:00 GMT

Sunday, June three – 06:00 GMT