Breaking News Bob Woolmer Was Murdered - Official Updated: 23:42, Thursday March 22, 2007 Jamaica police say Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was murdered. More to follow...
Seriously, this is truly horrific. The poor man.... this is a terrible low in sport.
Howard that's not the story, this is a press conference still going on on Sky News now...This is the official admission
Last edited by OneWorld22; 23rd Mar 2007 at 00:04.
I am reminded of a Colombian soccer player who some years ago was murdered after performing imperfectly in an important game.
Some people don't understand the word "game."
Added ~~~> During 1969, I believe, El Salvador and Honduras went to war for almost exactly 100 hours over a soccer match gone bad. Over 6,000 people died and 12,000 were wounded.
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Thanks OneWorld, after re-reading my post, I realise that perhaps it was a little insensitive and apologise, I have also removed it!
Acro, beat me to it, it is indeed not the first, nor I suspect will it be the last, sections of South America and the Sub Continent take their sport, VERY, VERY, SERIOUSLY!!
I know AC, and to think I felt bad about having rude signs about Texas when I was at the University of Oklahoma (way berfore you were born) when we played them in college football. This story is all over the networks.
Knowing how seriously Pakistan and India take cricket I was expecting some flag burning and demonstrations after the Pakistan team was knocked out. This though has gone a lot further than I ever expected.
It remains to be seen if this is linked to corruption or simply anger at the team being knocked out.
Hopefully justice will be done, Public Hangings are commonplace in Pakistan for heinous crime.
Pakistan's cricket coach Bob Woolmer was murdered in his hotel room on Sunday after the team's World Cup loss to Ireland, Jamaican police said. A post-mortem examination found that Mr Woolmer's death was due to "asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation". "In these circumstances, the matter of Mr Woolmer's death is now being treated as murder," Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas said in a statement.
Police have appealed for any witnesses to come forward.
The statement was read by a police spokesman at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel - where Mr Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious by staff on Sunday morning. Mark Shields, the deputy chief commissioner of Jamaican police, said there could be one or more people involved in the murder and urged the killer or killers to give themselves up.
Earlier, Jamaican police questioned members of Pakistan's cricket squad over the death. After being intervewed for about an hour and fingerprinted, the team left for the resort of Montego Bay.
Difficult to see how the 2007WC can continue after this shocking news.
Call me cynical but if the slaughter of the Israeli Olympic team couldn't stop the Munich '72 Games, I can't see the World Cup organisers pulling up stumps over one cricket coach.
Last edited by Kalium Chloride; 23rd Mar 2007 at 08:45.
news just in is that a suspect has been arrested. He was not a Jamacian and apparently some pages from the manuscript of Bob's book are missing from it.
Non of the reputable news agencies are reporting this and it does sound a bit like sensationalist journalism.
Not doubting you, I just cannot find this in any reports.
As far as calling off the world cup, absolutely not. This is a criminal investigation and should not affect the games.
If however the reports that his death was linked to corruption, that has far reaching consequences for the game itself. Corruption was known to be rife in the 70/80's but most believed it had been cleaned up. The game will take a real body blow if these claims turn out to be as widespread as some are reporting, and may destroy the reputation of international cricket for decades to come.
There is a comment on the BBC website that, apparently, Indian TV has reported suspects have been arrested. The Jamaican police have categorically denied that anyone has been arrested yet.
Quote:
Mr Shields also "unequivocally dismissed" Indian television reports that arrests had been made.
I was watching Sky News this morning and they showed an interview with his wife and son, apparently 24 hours before the dramatic turn of events. The interviewer (rather insensitively in my view) bought up the subject of match fixing and the possibility that his death was anything more than natural causes. From the tone and manner of her reply I rather think she knows something which might have some bearing on the question.
My question is: How the heck did Ireland beat Pakistan at cricket, you decide!!
Condolences to his friends and family, I remember BW at Warwickshire CC many years ago, a fine sportsman.
How the heck did Ireland beat Pakistan at cricket, you decide!!
Conspiracy....
The Irish are going to love the suggestion that they were allowed to win. and if they were, why would that cause Bob to be murdered, if it was fixed then the result turned out how they wanted surely.
Corruption in cricket does not normally mean match fixing. It is very hard to archive that because you would need to have at least half of the team including some of the bowlers in your pocket (SA being the exception to this in recent times).
It usually takes the form of information about players, teams, the pitch etc being passed on to bookmakers. Just a slight amount of information can sway the betting in your favour. Making a safe bet more likely, but not guaranteed.
Pakistan lose to Ireland in the Cricket World Cup, the next day the Pakistan coach is found dead in his hotel room and within two days it's been announced he was strangled. Mmmm
Nah, I'm in no way suggesting a conspiracy.............................
Oh, you may well be right, but if bob was murdered because of the Irish win, I suspect it would more likely to be because they lost, and not because of corruption.
Either way its all speculation, let's wait until the real motive is found.
The rumour floating around - please note, it is a rumour - here is that the Pakistan-Ireland match was not fixed, but the West Indies match was. The idea was that Pakistan was expected to beat Ireland (they didn't) and Zimbabwe (they did) and would qualify anyway. The tale adds that Woolmer was so incensed that he wanted to go public with what he knew about match fixing, which could not be allowed....
Dont think any foreign coach will now touch Pakistani cricket - whatever is left of it, considering half the PCB has resigned - with a barge pole. Not that they were really popular among coaches anyway.
- with a barge pole. Not that they were really popular among coaches anyway.
