England Fans Take Action
'Barmy Army' to boycott Zimbabwe

23rd January 2003

The Barmy Army, the boisterous unofficial supporters' club that follows the England cricket team around the world, will not be present in Harare at the controversial opening match of the World Cup.

Not a single package tour has been sold to watch England's controversial first round match against joint hosts Zimbabwe on February 13^th 2003.

The Barmy Army, derided as drunken louts by traditional enemies Australia, had discovered "a strand of moral fibre under their beer bellies".

Barmy Army soldiers said that, loyal as they were to their team, they were questioning whether it was morally right to attend a fixture played when the policies of President Robert Mugabe had reduced many to starvation.

"You don't like to mix sport and politics, but this is a big issue. The consensus is that they shouldn't be playing in Zimbabwe," Dave Peacock, a founder member, told the Times.

A spokesperson for one of the leading World Cup tour operators, said: "There has been no interest at all. Partly it is because England are scheduled to play only one match in Zimbabwe, but the key here is that people have taken an ideological view and decided that it is not a country they wish to visit."

By contrast, more than 800 packages have been sold at a cost of around 2500pounds for the South African games of the tournament.

Several British politicians have expressed opposition to the tour but the government has declined to make a firm ruling or to compensate the organisers for the likely financial loss should they refuse to play.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has decided to go ahead with the matches scheduled for Zimbabwe.

The Foreign Office has warned fans that wearing an England shirt could be construed as a political statement in Zimbabwe.

One Barmy Army member retorted to the Times: "So it's safe to go as long as you don't wear your colours or go to the game? I think I'll be watching at a pub in Johannesburg thanks."

The Times - (UK)