The hall of shame
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
PA Photos
Now that Stanford's involvement with English cricket has crumbled, the ECB has little choice but to admit that their reputation has taken a beating. Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph has more.
If they did look into his past they would have discovered that Stanford had been kicked out of the Caribbean island of Montserrat by the British Government in 1990, after setting up his bank there five years earlier. He then took his bank in Antigua where, at the last count, his commercial interests employ five per cent of the island's workforce, a human travesty in the making if it all goes pop.
James Lawton in the Independent believes that Allen Stanford should not be the only one heading for the dock, but also those who are entrusted with running the game once described as the foundation of the British Empire.
There was an obligation to move with the times, the critics were told. Twenty20 generated vast revenue in India, it was the future. Stanford was seen as English cricket’s ally against the growth of the Indian cricket empire. No matter that the subtleties of the game may be beyond him, that the meaning of cricket’s past was of no consequence. He had what everyone wanted. He had oodles of money.
That, despite the third-rate nature of his cricket circus, meant he was not a man to be discounted when the future of the game was weighed.
The ECB certainly isn't the only loser, reveals Mike Selvey in his blog on the Guardian website. The Chance to Shine campaign for the development of cricket throughout the Caribbean, the 2,000-odd people he employed and the players in his Stanford Superstars team who invested the money on advice, would have no doubt been dealt a severe blow as well.
Money often brings out the worst in people. It has certainly brought out the worst in English cricket and the men who run it, and they have got exactly what they deserved, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.
Patrick Kidd in the same newspaper reveals more about the steely businessman beneath the charm of a typical Texan.
The seeds of Stanford's downfall were evident when ECB made their move. Andy Bull in his blog on the Guardian website throws up questions about what due diligence was done.
Elena Moya in the Guardian, sifts through VenEconomía, a Venuzuelan economics magazine, and reveals how the alarm, regarding Stanford's suspicious finances, was raised.