by sussexpob » Wed Jan 27, 2016 11:19 am
As for the main issue, seeing moaning about the ECB on this is not really making sense. I doubt that the ECB has any control on the situation of international cricketers getting a visa, domestic cricket yes, they will no doubt be a process in place where a players visa/work permit application is subject to a counter balance from a professional body to judge the merits as to the quality of player coming through, in order for integrity purposes.
Its key to note that there have been scandals in football with agents that went high profile, and where players who couldnt kick a ball were getting work permits just on the basis that the agent made money out of the deal. Souness signed a bloke who probably didnt even know the rules, judging on his one abhorrent performance at Southampton (Ali Dia, bought on the basis that he was apparently related to George Weah). Agents involvements in the Tevez and Mascherano deals relegated Sheffield United (they never came back) and ended up costing West Ham tens of millions of pounds in court. You have to control sports people coming in to play in your country.
I mean to keep it just to cricket, there have been players jailed recently for committing serious fraud for big money. One had been banned twice for taking PED's and had been arrested and detained for illegal drug possession in another country. A good visa structure in place, and this guy isnt allowed to come. A weaker one, which was the case a few years back, and you end up spending public money convicted and jailing him and his friends for illegal activities, which costs the public money. The same tour ended with an asylum claim from one of their team mates and a huge anti corruption investigation involving the time and money of local police. The Olympic games drug problems arising from 2012 will no doubt cost money in the future or ongoing for the UK to investigate. There is a public burden on hosting sporting tournaments.
It is actually the ICC that need to act. It is easier to get visas or visa free arrangements in place, but its the ICC that need to negotiate this with the UK. Like anything, you have to demonstrate economic value making it worthwhile, which is probably why the UK are firm with cricket. What benefit does it have on the UK economy as a whole to allow Starc to bowl for Yorkshire? Probably very little to absolute non existent benefit. In comparison, what economic benefit does it have to allow the best footballing talent to play in the Premier League or allow Champions League team players to play without visa restrictions? A lot.... in fact the money generated by the city of Manchester through tourism coming to see two local footballing teams dwarfs the size of the ECB tv deal with Sky alone, which basically forms the majority of English crickets budget.... its not hard to see why the IPL or BBL would allow people to come in visa free, foreign talent flooding these leagues is the selling point, and gives huge social and economic benefits.
There would be a bigger case if the English T20 blast allowed more foreign talent, that the work permit rules are relaxed.....it would generate far more money and benefit the local economy. Thats what its about, balancing risk with reward. If you want to circumnavigate a visa regime put in place for a countries security and economic protection, then you have to make it worthwhile. No visa for Olympians in 2012, but the Olympics generated billions of revenue. Brought in 100,000's if not millions of tourists, all spending money in a local economy. Allowing a Windies cricket to pass through London without a visa on his way to India would generate the price of a bottle of Evian and a newspaper at the terminal shop. Hardly worth re-writing a law for. Russia will re-write its famously draconian visa regime for the upcoming Olympics and World Cup because it pays.
I work in tourism for a governmental body, and in my career I have had to apply for several business or working visas. I have passports full of them, and from countries that are notorious for not being quick or incredibly difficult to get, some to places in countries that are off the grid, out of bounds or restricted areas. None of them took that long to get, and if they did it was because my paperwork wasnt in order properly. Id hazard a guess this is the problem, and clearly was in Starc's case. If you apply for a tourist visa and turn up with several bags of equipment for a job, dont expect to be allowed to enter. Thats simply moronic and implies dishonesty. Name me one country that allows a person who claims to be a tourist, then turns up at a border saying they are going to be working, to be allowed to cross a border and I would be surprised. No country would.
In fact, the case of Windies players taking apparently several weeks to get a transit visa if they go via London, sorry but that doesnt sound true either. Transit visas require hardly any paperwork, they are low grade visas, and in the case of most countries arent required at all unless you leave an airport. London has the most international flight routes and departures in the world, I hardly think therefore its position is to bar entry (in fact, it has flight routes so much because of its ease of access). And for transit visas, why would the fact a person be a cricketer be of interest or relevant to the application? I believe as a European, you dont even need transit visas for places like China as long as you have a flight connection from the same airport. I find it hard to believe that (a) its required (b) it takes that long.
And for players that are coming to the UK, they have to be able to account for what work they are going to do, as they are technically earning money in the UK. In order to calculate how much of a central contract is being earned in the UK and therefore what tax they pay, it takes a little bit of sensible admin and effort. Not a lot, but certainly you have to prove earnings etc. I dont see why cricketers should be excluded from such tax payments or calculations, so no coherent return of your plan, no visa....no entry.
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