SOUTH AFRICA TO HOST INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE CRICKET

UNCLAS CAPE TOWN 000085


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SF SCUL
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA TO HOST INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE CRICKET


1. (U)On March 24, 2009 Indian Premier League(IPL)chairman, Lalit
Modi announced that South Africa would host the IPL Twenty20 event
due to security concerns following the attack on the Sri Lankan
cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan. The IPL will now kick-off on April
18 in Cape Town with the final to be played on May 24 in
Johannesburg.


2. (U) South Africa beat England to the hosting rights because of
several factors, including weather, finances, television rights and
the speedy issuing of more than 1000 visas. Rain is less likely to
affect matches in South Africa than England during the tournament
period and with the U.S. dollar worth almost 10 rand it is an
attractive option financially. In addition, Johannesburg-based
sports channel SuperSport holds the rights to the IPL and
international cricket in South Africa. Venues in South Africa will
also be readily available as the domestic cricket season ends on
April 9. Cricket South Africa indicated that another deciding factor
was government's assurances that the 1000 plus visas required would
be processed swiftly and the tournament would receive "red-carpet
treatment."


3. (U) There have been concerns over player safety in South Asia
following the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 and the specific
targeting by armed militants of the Sri Lankan cricket team on tour
in Pakistan in March. Indian officials have indicated that they are
not able to provide adequate security to ensure player safety due to
the fact that India's Parliamentary elections will be taking place
during the same time frame. In press reports, India's cricket chief
Shashank Manohar, said "due to the attitude of the government that
it cannot provide security for the tournament, we are forced to take
a decision to move the IPL out of India." There is terrorism in all
four cricket-playing nations of the sub-continent, namely, India,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In 1996, Australia and the West
Indies refused to send teams to Sri Lanka after terrorist bombings
in the country. There has been considerable resistance from players
from outside South Asia to tour there. Pakistan has not had a
cricket series for a year and is now unlikely to host any sort of
international cricket in the foreseeable future.


4. (U) Both player and stadium security will be handled by Nicholls
Steyn and Associates, a South African based global security
consultant firm. CEO Robert Nicholls confirmed that his company is
strategizing with the South African Police Services as well as local
metro police to provide the best security for the event. He
indicated that security would follow a similar model to that of last
years T20 World Cup staged in South Africa. Nicholls stated that he
is working with international intelligence agencies to monitor any
possible terror threats, but due to security concerns was unable to
elaborate on this matter. Comment: It is not expected that South
Africa will encounter the same threat level for terror attacks as if
the event were held in India. Although security is always a concern,
the general feeling is that the attacks were isolated to the South
Asia region and should not pose as serious a problem for South
Africa. End Comment


5. (U) The IPL is a huge money maker; it earned $724 million from
franchises last year while nearly two billion people cumulatively
watched the games over the tournament. Although much of the profits
will remain with the IPL, South Africa will reap financial benefits
in other ways. PolAsst spoke with Don McIntosh COO of Cricket South
Qin other ways. PolAsst spoke with Don McIntosh COO of Cricket South
Africa (CSA) who indicated that CSA will receive a hosting fee of
R90 million (USD 9 million). In addition, he predicted that the IPL
would use more than 30,000 hotel rooms and 10,000 domestic airline
tickets over the next six weeks creating a major boost to South
Africa's economy, especially the struggling airline industry. The
IPL has also concluded ground transport contracts with leading car
hire firms. It is expected that the IPL could net South Africa $15
million over six weeks. Comment: If South Africa can organize the
IPL at such short notice it will surely serve as a boost in the run
up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup. In addition, it is hoped that the
publicity South Africa will receive from the event will encourage
travelers to head for South Africa. However, all these positive
factors are dependent on whether the IPL proceeds without incident.
End Comment