Whatever the solution to the Australian Football League’s "vexed issue of betting," AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan is "adamant it is not prohibition." McLachlan admits there is some "unease within the AFL about whether the league and its clubs should benefit from betting revenue, given the well-known social problems of gambling addiction." But he added on Sunday that "there was a balance on issues such as gambling advertising at matches." He said that the AFL had "worked with TV broadcasters so there was no live odds shown while the game was being played." McLachlan said, "I'm also real about wagering -- we are better off having relationships with wagering companies than not because we get access to information. We can protect the integrity of our competition" (AAP, 4/3).
NEW COACH: The South African Rugby Union will announce the new Springbok head coach on April 12 and "Allister Coetzee is strong favourite to get the job." SARU President Oregan Hoskins confirmed on Friday that the organization's General Council had "approved a candidate, without revealing his identity, and the ruling body will now complete the process of contracting the coach and his management team." Hoskins: "Today's ratification triggers the final part of the process. We're looking forward to being able to confirm our choice publicly" (STUFF, 4/2).
LEAGUE BRIEFS ...
The Australian Football League and Collingwood have "condemned fans who hung up a banner" reading "Go Pies! Stop the Mosques" during a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday night. The banner, which also "featured the insignia of far right group United Patriots Front, was eventually taken down and the fans responsible removed from the ground by stewards." McLachlan said that the banner was "divisive, ignorant and deeply offensive" (REUTERS, 4/2).
The Asian Football Confederation has suspended two Thai referees "pending an investigation into allegations of match-fixing." Thanom Borikut and Chaiya Mahapab have been provisionally suspended for 60 days by the AFC's disciplinary committee and an application has been made to FIFA "to have the ban extended worldwide" (REUTERS, 4/2).
