UAE’s ACU head talks on ways to halt corruption in cricket

Gulf News

Lt Col Muhammad Azam Khan says players involuntarily get trapped  Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/icc/be-fair-and-play-fair-in-cricket-uaes-anti-corruption-unit-chief-says-1.89454068  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #UAEnews #cricket #sports

Transcript

00:00Hello. Hello. Good afternoon, Colonel Azam. Yes, I'm good. Good afternoon. How are you, sir?

00:07I'm good. Thank you so much. Thanks for giving us some time. Colonel Azam, I have seen in your

00:13profile you have been associated with cricket, with Pakistan Cricket Board for many years.

00:21Tell me, like you have been, this is the first time that ICC, an associate nation,

00:26ICC associate nation have appointed an ACO officer. How easy was it for you to, you know,

00:36implement whatever it is and how easy or difficult, if you can talk me through about the

00:41process right now? Yeah. Okay. Thank you very much for getting me to this interview,

00:50to give my point of view as Emirates Head of the Emirates Cricket Board Anti-Corruption Unit.

00:56As you have already said that my background is from army and from the army intelligence,

01:01basically. Most of my time has been spent into the intelligence field.

01:08I joined Pakistan Cricket Board in 2013 as director security and anti-corruption.

01:16And the main mission was to revive international cricket and then to see whether because there

01:22were few players involved into 2010, you know, Mr. Mr. Amir, Muhammad Amir and others, you know.

01:28Yeah. And then in 2019, I joined as a consultant with ICC. And then in 2019, by end of the year,

01:38I joined Emirates Cricket Board. Now, the first thing was, as I was told that you are interested

01:45to know the background that why the Emirates Cricket Board is the first associate member

01:50who has got the anti-corruption unit in place, you know. The main reason is I'll just go into

01:58the background so that you know that why it has happened, you know, for the first time.

02:06There was the ICC anti-corruption unit when it was took over by Alex Marshall.

02:13So he has performed very well. So he has done a lot to prevent cricket from corruption.

02:21The education sessions went in, you know, to all the main teams. And there was a lot of people

02:30reporting approaches. And the corruptors came to know that now they don't have any chance to get

02:37into the main team. So then they started getting into the associates and to the under 19 players,

02:44you know, because they wanted to earn money. So they saw that they don't have any future in

02:50the main teams, you know, because of the ICC anti-corruption unit is being very effective

02:55in educating players and everybody. So they got into the associate members team like they went

03:02into. And you know, the most vulnerable players are from Asia, you know, from Pakistan, Afghanistan,

03:08India. So their target was the UAE team, maybe Hong Kong, Oman, and maybe Singapore and Nepal

03:18and these guys. So they became the target. So that was the reason that there was, if you remember,

03:25in 2019 qualifiers, World Cup qualifiers, the ICC anti-corruption unit, I was part of that team,

03:33that there were players who were caught and then they were suspended, you know,

03:37five or seven of them from and they all unfortunately from UAE cricket. Therefore,

03:44there was a need, there was a need of having an anti-corruption officer with them. And I was chosen

03:51by the Emirates Cricket Board, probably because I had my background, because I'm being from

03:56Pakistan. And at that time, most of the players were from Pakistan or India in the UAE team,

04:00you know. So because I have the background knowledge, I am from the same culture. So they

04:06thought that I will be the better person to look after the cricket in UAE. So that was the

04:14main reason that the Emirates Cricket Board went to form an anti-corruption unit.

04:22Yeah, lovely. After joining, what was the knowledge of these players? You said

04:30these players were vulnerable because they didn't have enough knowledge.

04:34But how good were the UAE players? Because obviously, like the past record when the five

04:39players were banned and all the issues, but like, what was the level of their understanding of the

04:49do's and don'ts, if you can identify? Yes. Number one, as you know, the most of the players,

04:58they don't want to get into the corruption. They are always lured in, you know, most of them.

05:04So in fact, by nature, nobody wants to get that embarrassment for himself, for his family,

05:11for his country, you know, because they don't know. So they are lured in by the corruptors,

05:16you know, they give them so many good stories, you know, so they lure them in into and they are

05:23naive. So they don't know how to get rid of them. So whatever I told them, when I joined the

05:30Emirates Cricket Board Anti-Corruption Unit, so the message was very well received. I've seen

05:3699.9% of the players were happy to have the education session. They wanted to know,

05:44they were eager to know that what all they have to do and what they don't have to do, you know.

05:49So the message was very well received. Very, very good. And how was the change after that? Like,

05:56very well received this one aspect, but how were they able to

06:01stop those approaches or were they able to stay away from that without getting into that?

06:07Was that, you know, like any instances of after that? Yes, of course. I'll just give you an

06:14example. The first domestic tournament which happened was in 2020, D10, that domestic 10,

06:23which was played in ICC academy grounds. So I got around more than five players coming to me

06:32that they were approached by certain people, you know. So that was my success as an anti-corruption

06:39unit that the players have started coming to me and telling me that they are being approached and

06:43they were mostly approached by the people who are very close to them, who are very close to cricket,

06:49you know. And it was very helpful for me. And then for the next education sessions,

06:54I included those people who approached to the other players, to the other members of the team,

07:00so that everybody knew that they are bad boys, you know, that they don't have to get in close

07:04with them. So the thing has started off. And then in the next, in 2020 domestic 20 tournament,

07:12which was played in Dubai stadium, I got seven players coming to me and reporting approaches

07:19to me that they were approached for corrupt act, you know. So the corruptors came to know that now

07:24they're the players, they are educated, so they know it. And then it went on, the graph went on

07:31in 2020 and 21. But by end of 21, I have seen now the approaches even has declined, you know,

07:38there are only few. In the last tournament, which was played in Ajman, last month I was there,

07:46so there were only one person who was just approached, you know, and he immediately

07:50reported it to me. So the message has gone, you know, it was very well received that do's and

07:56don'ts, you see, they are very effective. The players exactly now know that whenever, so most

08:01of the players, they have got my number. So even if I am here for just for an example, that there

08:08is a, you see, fair break tournament going on in UK. So four of my female players are here.

08:14So we have made a group on WhatsApp group, so all the four players are with me now.

08:20So I am educating them what to do, what not to do. So they are talking to me that those girls,

08:25so they are getting assistance from me, the guidance from me, you see, all any tournament

08:30going on, we make a WhatsApp group, and then they all are through to me directly, you see,

08:37to get any guidance from me. So this is what we are happening and it is very helpful as well.

08:43Very good. Actually, you have answered my next question, like how do you plan to educate,

08:46but I think the education process is already there. Now with the education process already

08:52there, like, what next is your goal? Because you seem to have now come say that 99.9% of the

08:58players are now aware of what are the do's and don'ts. So what do you think is the next step to

09:04ensure that there is no like they are absolutely in a very safe and secure environment of

09:11colonialism? Yeah. So the method of working in the anti-corruption unit is that we initially

09:21go for the prevention, you know, and the prevention includes that we have to educate

09:25people, we have to get into communication with them, we are in contact with them. So this is

09:30all being done. So as far as and then we come to disruptions, you see, we gain information prior to

09:36any happening. And then we disrupt that such corruption does not happen in the tournament

09:40with the players, you know, and then we go for the investigations and then for the prosecution,

09:46the later stages. But coming over again to the prevention and education,

09:52I have started educating the UAE players. Initially, my target was the first 30 and 35

09:59players will keep on coming into the team and going out of the team, you know, so they were my

10:03first target. So we educated them in, I think, in a couple of months when I took over. And they were

10:10not only my aim, but the aim was to educate the support staff as well, you know, the people who

10:17are directly involved with them. So they are also well educated. So around 50 of them, they were

10:23educated in the first session, on the first priority. And then by now, I can very safely say

10:30that over 300 players have been educated in the councils, when we go for the domestic tournaments,

10:37the education session, even now when Bahatar League is being played in Sharjah. So one of my

10:43officers is there to look after the PMOA and he has given the education sessions time and again,

10:49we are repeating it. It is a series of, you know, education sessions, we give it to them,

10:54so that they know that what they don't have to do and how they can keep themselves safe. And

11:00overall, so the education is not only for the players and player support staff. Now that we

11:05started for the umpires, most of the umpires now are educated, the groundsmen even and the curators,

11:12the heads groundsmen, and the venue team, you know, the management who are involved with the

11:19cricketers, the venue manager, the safety security managers, and the operation managers. So those

11:25participants have also been educated. Going a little ahead of that, even the broadcasters,

11:30you know, the IMG people, I get hold of them and request them to come and attend and they were very

11:38happy to attend my lectures to know how the corruption happens, you know, so and they how

11:43they can keep themselves because they are from our point of view for the anti-corruption code

11:48point of view, they are all our participants. So when they're participants, they have to be

11:52educated. So we have educated for more than 500 participants in the last couple of years, you know.

12:01Okay, now coming back to that, like, what about the junior level, like under 19, because

12:06of education, if they do that pretty early, it makes it easier, isn't it when they reach the

12:12top level? So how educated are the junior levels, maybe even look at it, there are many

12:20matches played by under 13, under 15 level, under 19 level. So how was the process going on?

12:28Yes, the under 19, both on both the sides, the women players and the boys, they are being educated,

12:36we have got the under 19 teams with us. So all those who come and participate, they have been

12:41already educated. When I say that over 300 players have been educated, we include the under 19s as

12:48well into them, you know, and but now my further I have gone to all the associations like in Abu

12:55Dhabi, in Sharjah, Ajman, you see, everywhere in Dubai, and educated them whenever they are playing

13:02their domestic tournaments. But having said that, even more than that, what I now I plan is that

13:10we are starting to go to the clubs now. And we are now trying to target those clubs,

13:17that they are also educated right at the outset that the time they come into under 19. So they

13:24already know that what they have to do and what they don't have to do, you know, that will ease

13:29my job in future. Exactly, exactly. And if for these boys, for everybody who plays cricket,

13:37if there is one line that or one piece of advice, you wanted to tell them so that they are they

13:44get the message immediately and react. So what would be your piece of advice?

13:50Yes, the one line message or advice would be that cricket is a gentleman's game.

13:59Be fair and play fair, you know, and respect yourself, respect your family and respect your

14:06country and most so respect the game. Simple. Thank you. Thank you, Colonel Azam. Lovely

14:13talking to you. And I hope to see you when you come back. When are you back?

14:18I'll be back in for the for the Asia Cup, I believe. Yeah.

14:22Yeah. So that means you're telling that the Asia Cup is coming here.

14:25Yeah, I heard about that.

14:28So I will quote you that now like you said that the Asia Cup is coming here.

14:32No, I'm not a media man. But that what I have heard that probably it is.

14:36I know it's still not confirmed though. Adrian is not letting the cat out of the bag.

14:43Everybody is talking about it. Thank you.

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