What is allowed...

The ICC, stung by recent criticism, has issued a press release explaining what can and cannot be brought into World Cup matches. You can read it here. But a few points should be made:

1) Prohibited items: No one can disagree about banning firearms, knives, dangerous and imitation weapons, explosives, incendiary devices, fireworks and flares, illegal drugs, mace, megaphones, compressed air or gas-operated horns and flag poles. But the ban on bringing in alcohol is a personal peeve of mine that seems a direct accusation that spectators cannot be trusted. Also, the ban on "cans, tins or plastic bottles of any size or description" is ridiculous and clearly a sap to one of their sponsors. The one that isn't Coca-Cola, perhaps. (Out of protest, I'm not going to mention the official sponsors but I may plug their competitors.) Also, why no cans? That seems tuna-ist to me.

2) Guide dogs are permitted. What if your guide dog is a St Bernard with one of those kegs of booze round his neck?

3) Musical instruments are permitted with written permission from the appropriate Local Organising Committee. Hmmm, seems like offloading the blame for a ban on to the local bureaucrats. Anyway, what West Indians ever would bother to ask for written permission?

4) Cooler boxes are permitted provided they are not larger than 12"x12"x12". That's pathetically small - I'd barely fit enough food in there to get me through the powerplay fielding restrictions. It's not as if there is any shortage of space to put larger cooler boxes.

5) Glass containers are not permitted, other than those containing perfume, prescription medication or insect repellent. So that is how you should smuggle in your booze. Take lots of, ahem, perfume bottles. I like Eau de Rum myself.

6) It is important that the necessary precautions are taken to ensure maximum safety and security for all patrons. How did we manage to avoid mass injuries and deaths at previous World Cups when there weren't such restrictions? For that matter, how do many of us poor cossetted souls manage to get out of bed, cross the road or stick our face in a fan without dire injury?

Comments

[Mike]

After many years I've now decided not to continue my membership at the Gabba. The fun police have killed the enjoyment of attending live sporting events.

As Matthew pointed out earlier the situation in Australia has deteriorated rapidly in the last few years. It is such a shame to see the same thing happening in the West Indies.

Unfortunately the Cricket Authorities have now completely prostituted themselves to the commercial interests of the sponsers. Everything has to be sanitised. Everything must be presented in the ideal, happy, utopian world the same organisations use in all their other advertising.

One blogger was saying that you can't even take bottled water into World Cup matches if the lid was screwed onto the bottle. It wouldn't surprise me if the soft-drink sponsor was also selling the water inside the stadium.

Patrick has the right idea - the best thing to do in this situation is support the sponsor's competition. At least until the Cricketing Authorities can find some sponsors who are less concerned with propagating their corporate "values" on cricket fans.

[colin borde]

Folks, i have been to several games throughout the Caribbean over the last fifteen years and whilst i have witnessed some unruly behaviour at times,for the most part, we West Indians certainly know how to "BEHAVE" at international games. We have hosted the world's best for decades. we are not just fans, but Participants in an event . Unfortunately the ICC has decided that we should sit and be "good boys and girls". Whislt there is need for rules and regulations, one needs to or should have had some Real dialogue in limiting we the fans from expressing ourselves . The sooner the tournament is over the better. We will then continue to host our guests in the fashion that we the hosts do in our homes , not the way the guests tell us how to. Enjoy the cup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Patrick Kidd]

I'm sorry Noelene, I simply cannot agree with you. The acts of a few morons cannot be used as an excuse for the trampling on the liberties of the majority. If they are not allowed to bring in cans or bottles, then they will throw other things at the players if they really want to (they can buy cans and bottles inside the ground, for a start. or they could throw coins or mobile phones).

The fact is that, a very very few idiots aside, there is no behaviour problem in cricket and it is a total over reaction to ban things. It is also a patronising suggestion that most cricket-goers can't be trusted.

A couple of years ago, we had four bomb explosions on the London Underground. Rightly, there has not been a ban on people carrying bags on public transport. We chalked it down to experience. We should do the same with the rare incidents of bad behaviour in cricket.

I also disagree on another point. It is almost always better to be reactive than proactive. Remember the judicial dictum of innocent until proven guilty. The ICC thinks the opposite should be applied

[Noelene]

At the end of the day safety is the issue.we have seen players hit by beer cans,apples had blocks of concrete thrown at them had filled plastic bottles thrown at them.One player claimed to be shot at another had a gun pointed at him.It is better to be proactive rather than reactive.Don't blame the ICC blame the minority of idiotic fans who have made it less enjoyable for fans who go to watch the game not disrupt it.

[Sim]

Beyong the usual suspects I see no reason for this long list of banned items! This has been, thus far, the worst world cup ever! I would have hoped that mid-way through the tournament, they would have re-assessed this silly policy and revised it ..... acknowledging that it was one of the contributing factors to the very empty stands we have seen at all games thus far!

Cut people some slack!

[Paul Sullivan]

I watched some of the recent tournament in Nairobi and was dismayed by the ICC's attitude to security and racism. They displayed a trophy just off the field of play but forbade any spectator walking within ten yards of it. As one of the two spectators present that day we were both disappointed. I tried to ask an ICC official about their policy but he just fobbed me off rather rudely. Then there were anti-racism announcements every hour on the hour which dumbfounded everyone who heard them. There is no racism in Kenya generally and these announcements were singularly inappropriate and deeply resented.
I have just read the list of banned items for spectators at the world cup. What are these people trying to do? Why are they trying to kill cricket? What will they do when they have driven us all away? Who do they think they are?

[Matthew Gray]

It seems that the ICC are trying to catch up with the fun police in Australia. For quite a number of years the restrictions on us have been getting worse and worse. With the issue coming to a head last year when a friend of mine put on a captain australia suit and got kicked out for inciting fun. He had only just come back from the toilet and was going to sit down. (Not start a mexican wave) However he had to miss the rest of the day. An absolute disgrace! Bring back the hill with cans that my dad got to enjoy. I'm not going to another game in Aus or anywhere else for that matter as after reading that ICC CWC WI 2007 document shows the regulations keep on coming. I suppose we brought this on ourselves though after all most of these regs are due to the letigious society we have all created.