Fifa come down hard on Blues

2ND TEST, DAY 2

South Africa 222 and 128 Sri Lanka 154 and 60/2

ANOTHER day, another dreary batting display by the Proteas.

It’s a good thing the next Test they’re scheduled to play is only in October. It’s not a good thing that next Test is in India, where the batting crumbled in 2015.

It also can’t be a good thing that many of the concerns about South Africa’s World Cup prospects are about the batting.

But the World Cup can can India.

There is a Test still to be completed in Port Elizabeth and a series that needs saving, and for that the South African team must once more lean on their bowlers.

It’s been thus for too long, and for that there are a number of reasons; pitches prepared solely to aid South Africa’s quicks, poor technique (the result of trying to adjust to those difficult pitches), a lack of confidence among the batsmen, bad selection, a batting coach that can’t seem to correct the faults and opposition bowlers who’ve thrived in conditions they hardly ever get to see at home.

Sri Lanka bowled well again yesterday, the second day of the second Test at St George’s Park. But well enough to roll South Africa for 128 in 44.3 overs in the second innings? Certainly not. In fact, 18 wickets fell on the second day, and for the most part it was down to some very bad batting.

The Proteas are in the midst of a terrible batting slump that hasn’t been helped by playing on pitches which heavily favour seam bowling when they play sides from the sub-continent.

The confidence is shot; Dean Elgar is having trouble locating his off-stump; Hashim Amla actually got a start on Friday but failed to turn it into something substantial; Temba Bavuma – playing at No 4 again – frittered

wait. So about for 49 minutes to make six; Aiden Markram lobbed a half volley to midwicket; and Quinton de Kock, the side’s most in-form player, couldn’t decide whether to attack or defend, did neither and gave an easy catch back to the bowler.

Only Faf du Plessis stuck it out, made 50 not out and gave his side a semblance of a chance.

Suranga Lakmal’s accuracy and cunning saw him rewarded with four wickets, while Dhananjaya de Silva’s part-time off-spin was too crafty for Amla, debutant Wiaan Mulder and Dale Steyn.

Needing 197 runs to become the first Asian team to win a series in South Africa, Sri Lanka’s openers, Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimane started confidently, adding 32, before Kagiso Rabada had the latter caught behind, playing away from his body for 10. The Sri Lankan captain then fell to Duanne Olivier’s first delivery, getting sucked into a shot to a ball angling across him which he could only edge behind to De Kock.

Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis saw the tourists through to the close without further damage and they will return today needing just 137 runs for a historic series win.

They must certainly not play with the devil-may-care approach they showed in the first innings.

They were for the most part too loose and allowed the South Africans to take a 68-run lead on the first innings.

Rabada finished with four wickets, Olivier three, Keshav Maharaj one and there was a maiden Test wicket for Mulder, which came with a lovely delivery that seamed away off the surface and found the outside edge of De Silva’s bat. Niroshan Dickwella’s fortuitous 42 was Sri Lanka’s top score.

But they were then able to take advantage of South Africa’s horror show in the second innings to leave themselves on the cusp of what will be one of the greatest achievements in Sri Lankan cricket today. FIFA have banned Chelsea from the next two transfer windows after the Premier League club was found guilty of breaching rules regarding overseas players under the age of 18, football’s world governing body said yesterday.

In a statement, Fifaq said Chelsea had also been fined 600,000 Swiss Francs ($599,460) and had been given 90 days to “regularise the situation”.

The club said it would appeal the transfer ban.

After a lengthy investigation into how Chelsea register players at academy level, they were found to have breached article 19 of the regulations in the case of 29 minor players.

Fifa added the London club had also breached article 18bis in connection with agreements it concluded concerning minors and which allowed it to influence other clubs in transfer matters.

The ban does not apply to Chelsea’s women’s team.

England’s Football Association was also fined 510,000 Swiss

Francs and given six months to address the situation concerning the international transfer and first registration of minors.

Chelsea issued a statement “categorically refuting” the findings of Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee.

The club added it respects the “important work” undertaken by

Fifa in relation to the protection of minors and had fully cooperated with Fifa throughout its investigation.

Chelsea had initially been charged with breaches of article 19 in respect of 92 players but Fifa found no wrongdoing in the case of 63 of those.

“The club is extremely disappointed that Fifa has not accepted the club’s submissions in relation to the remaining 29 players,” a statement said.

The news of a ban is a serious blow to Chelsea who have slipped to sixth in the Premier League having lost five of their last 10 games in all competitions.

Manager Maurizio Sarri, who took over in July, is already under pressure and whether he survives or not Chelsea would need squadstrengthening in the close season.

The FA said in a statement it intended to appeal against the decision and was working with

Fifa and Chelsea in a constructive manner to “address the issues” raised by the case.

By contesting the ban Chelsea could delay the sanction and be free to operate in the close season transfer window while the appeal is heard by Fifa’s Appeal Committee.

There is also the possibility of the matter ending up in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

In November, Chelsea said they were cooperating with a Fifa investigation into the transfer of minors after being identified by French investigative website Mediapart, one of several outlets publishing documents obtained by Football Leaks.

Fifa operate strict rules over the transfer of under 18s, designed to safeguard against exploitation and trafficking.

Players aged 18 or under can only be transferred abroad if one of three criteria are met: if their parents emigrated for non-footballing reasons, both clubs are in the EU or European Economic Area and the player is aged between 16 and 18 or the player lives within 100km of the new club.

They are not the first big club to fall foul of Fifa’s rules on under 18s.

Barcelona were hit with a transfer ban of two windows in 2014 but delayed it by six months by lodging an appeal, which although eventually dismissed, allowed them to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool and Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla.

Both moves were key to Barca winning a treble of the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey the following season.

Real Madrid successfully appealed to CAS after being hit with a oneyear ban in 2016 which was reduced to six months, meaning they only missed the January 2017 window.

Atletico Madrid, also banned for a year in 2016, saw their appeal fail, however, and were unable to add players in January or the close season of 2017. |