da cassino online： It was with anger and frustration that I learnt about the articlethat appeared in the Argus Newspaper and its sister publicationson Wednesday 23rd April
da betobet： UCBSA release on behalf of Eric Simons25-Apr-2003It was with anger and frustration that I learnt about the articlethat appeared in the Argus Newspaper and its sister publicationson Wednesday 23rd April. Clearly it was written by a journalistwith no understanding or knowledge of the team or our WorldCup campaign.Highly confidential reports have been leaked by a person orpeople who obviously have little or no sense of moral integrity toa reporter who has acknowledged to the UCB that he knowsvery little about the game.The fitness trainer’s report is grossly misinterpreted in the articleand it is an indictment on the editors of respected newspapersthat they are prepared to publish a front page story in a mannerthat befits the cheapest form of journalism – and under suchlurid headlines.At no stage did the journalist bother to discuss the contents ofthe report with anyone involved in compiling the report in theinterest of presenting a fair and complete picture.Obviously, as coach I have seen both the report and the articleand it is clear that the writer has chosen to exaggerate andtwist the content purely for the sake of sensationalism as thearticle makes no attempt to present the facts fairly.The bulk of the article refers to an assessment exercise thesquad did four months prior to the start of the World Cup. In theexercise we looked for any potential weaknesses that may haveexisted among the potential squad members. This was done inconsultation with each individual and agreement was reachedthat the areas in need of attention receive the necessaryattention well in advance of the tournament.When the issue of weight is brought up in our assessment weare talking about a few kilograms either way. To use the word”fatties” is a disgrace to all journalists and an example of gutterjournalism. When we talk about binges, we are talking aboutplayers who prefer to miss meals and to eat once a day. Thewords “alcohol” and “binge” are each mentioned once in theentire report, yet reference to them managed to find its way tothe bloated headlines! The team has a policy of no alcohol fromtwo days before, and obviously throughout any internationalmatch, and this was policy throughout out world cup campaign.Mr Gray’s report goes on to state that every provisional WorldCup squad member passed a fitness test prior to the naming ofthe final squad, but the reporter does not bother to mention thisas, clearly, it does not suit the overall tone of his story.I could continue explaining why this article is a disgrace, andsimply an attempt to suit someone’s own selfish ends.As a squad we wanted to leave no stone unturned in ourpreparation for the World Cup, and even the smallest potentialproblem – such as the injury potential of someone like JontyRhodes – was considered.Obviously as a squad we are desperately disappointed in ourperformance and the outcome of our World Cup campaign. Butthe issues raised so sensationally in this article were dealt withmonths before the tournament and were not, in any way, afactor at any stage in the tournament.I have found the endless, destructive attacks by certainsections of the SA media disappointing in the extreme,particularly when the positive angles are so often ignored.In this case, it seems that the need to be destructive wasmotivated by the need to sell newspapers and enhance careers.All of which is very frustrating as we endeavor to make ournation proud of their team.None of us has ever claimed to be perfect, but we do need andappreciate the incredible support we have from our public inspite of these attempts by some media to be destructive.The South Africa cricket team is in an exciting transitionalphase, and we are already seeing some encouraging signs on ourtour in Bangladesh.The story reached us just before our team meeting onWednesday night, and I can honestly say I have neverexperienced a more subdued and dejected meeting as the onethat followed. And this, just twelve hour before a Test match!The team expects justified criticism when playing at the highestlevel, but the sense of hurt and disappointment felt at theinjustice of this article was tangible in all those affected.The captain did his best to pick the team up in the meeting, andin the end they understood the need to look forward and focuson the Test match and an exciting future.This team will move forward not because of articles like this but inspite of it.
