Athletes are constantly under contracts. Under these conditions, they aren't free to do whatever they want. There are terms that have to adhere to. Part of this involves team meetings, performances and trainings. That is essentially a non-negotiable.
Most adhere to the conditions. However, there are times when they go rogue and abstain from team committments. There are two stories that highlight this issue.
The Lions cricket organisation have launched an investigation into how player Beyers Swanepoel was allowed to leave the field during the One Day Cup final against the Titans at the Wanderers on Sunday to catch a flight to the UK.
The Titans won the final, with the home team apparently being forced to field only 10 players in the latter stages of the match because Swanepoel had left the field and wasnât injured. The visitors from Centurion won the match by three wickets with a ball to spare.
The SA Cricketers Association (SACA), which is basically the playersâ representative body, are also hoping to get to the bottom of whatâs gone down in Johannesburg.
It's understood that Swanepoel left the match without acquiring the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from his home union, the Lions, according to SportsBoom.
"Iâve launched an internal investigation to find out whatâs going on," said Lions CEO, Jono Leaf-Wright. "I wasnât aware of Beyers leaving. Beyers didnât have a signed NOC to leave, and Iâm very disappointed in what heâs done and his behaviour."
SACA CEO, Andrew Breetzke, said his body would wait to gather all the facts before determining the way forward.
"No, look, Iâm going to wait for it. Thatâs why Iâve had the discussion with the Lions. We need to find out what the facts are. So, we just need to get to the bottom of the facts," Breetzke told SportsBoom.
"(We do deal with NOC issues) but not often. But we do have issues around NOCs and when players are released. So, I think this is a challenge in the process at the moment relative to the landscape of cricket. But we need to get to the facts of this one before we take it further."
He has put his NOC to play county cricket at risk after leaving his domestic team without notice and during the one-day cup final. CSA is investigating the events of Sunday, with a decision expected in the next 48 hours.
Swanepoel, who took 3 for 44 for the Lions against the Titans, walked off the field with eight overs to go to take a flight to the UK, where he is due to play for Worcestershire. The Lions had no knowledge of his plans and his NOC, which was only presented to officials last night, is currently unsigned.
"We are investigating the matter and following protocol as per NOC regulation. We will advise everyone accordingly on the way forward once the investigation is concluded within 48 hours," Eddie Khoza, CSA executive of domestic cricket, said. The County Championship, in which Swanepoel is due to play for Worcestershire, begins on Friday.
It's understood that CSA and the South African Cricketers' Association are now in discussions about the best way to handle the situation. The Lions, meanwhile, are mulling terminating their contract with Swanepoel.
Swanepoel, who is uncapped internationally, signed a one-year red-ball contract with Worcestershire in December, having previously played for Kent. Worcestershire said that they were "aware of the reports" ahead of Swanepoel's arrival for the start of the Championship. "We are in the process of establishing the full facts and, while that is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further," the club said in a statement.
However, the Lions had no knowledge of Swanepoel's deal until he left the field during the game. At the time, Swanepoel, who usually bowls at the death, had delivered his quota of 10 overs as the Lions looked to break a 78-run sixth-wicket partnership between Keegan Petersen and Duan Jansen. Swanepoel, who had helped reduce Titans to 121-5 and chasing 249, wasn't able to remove either batter and subsequently left the field.
Initially, everyone involved in the game, including the Lions players, thought Swanepoel had picked up a niggle. The Lions even had a substitute fielder briefly replace him until a query from the Titans about Swanepoel's status determined that he had left the ground.
By then, Swanepoel had gone to the dugout to say goodbye to some of his team-mates and headed to the airport to catch a 19:30 flight out of Johannesburg. Once it had been ascertained that Swanepoel wasn't at the Wanderers, the Lions were denied a substitute fielder for the rest of the game as his absence was not caused by injury. They lost on the penultimate ball, with only 10 players on the field.
They will now investigate why Swanepoel didn't communicate his plans prior to the match, which he would not have played had the Lions known his availability was in question. "I am extremely disappointed in Beyers. His actions go completely against the culture and values of the team which we have worked to build for the last six years," Jono Leaf-Wright, the Lions chief executive, said. "He has let the union and the fans down."
The Lions were already without regular coach, Russell Domingo, who also left for the UK to take up a new role with Hampshire. Domingo, whose travel plans were clarified well in advance, will work for both the Lions and Hampshire for the next few years. Assistant coach, Jimmy Kgamadi, batting coach, Hashim Amla and bowling coach, Allan Donald were all present in the Lions' support staff for the final. Though they lost the one-day cup, the Lions won the four-day first-class competition earlier in the summer.
His future as a professional cricketer is under threat. The Lions are livid, understandably and are contemplating cancelling his contract. Worcestershire - who Swanepoel was in a hurry to join ahead of the coming county championship - may not be allowed to deploy him because he has arrived without a signed NOC from CSA and the Lions.
Centrally contracted players need only CSA's agreement to turn out for foreign teams. Domestic players, like Swanepoel, need both CSA's and their provincial union's permission. Swanepoel has neither. CSA are engaging the ECB on the saga.
First, the mitigating factors. The 43rd over was the last of Swanepoel's 10. He was done bowling for the day. Also, the Titans needed just 60 more runs from the remaining 42 deliveries. That's a required run-rate of 1.43; a doddle, especially with Keegan Petersen and Duan Jansen 67 runs into a stand that would reach 78.
The aggravating factor is that, because of the circumstances of Swanepoel's absence, the Lions were denied a substitute fielder for much of those seven last overs. Even so, they took the game deep - the Titans won by three wickets with a ball to spare. That means the result could've been different if the Lions had had one more pair of hands, as they should have had, to try and stop the runs.
Worcestershire announced in December that Swanepoel had signed a one-year contract with them to play in the county championship. Their first match, away to Derbyshire, starts on Friday. It appears Swanepoel neglected to inform his South African employers, the Lions, that he would leave for England on the day of the final.
The Lions management discovered during their team's batting innings that Swanepoel would knock off early. By then, he had of course been named in the XI and it was too late to remedy the situation.
Swanepoel had indeed revealed his intentions earlier - to, of all people, the opposition. So, when he stepped across the boundary and prepared to vacate the ground, Albie Morkel, the Titans assistant coach, knocked on the match officials' door and told them what was happening. Morkel did so because he knew that would mean Swanepoel couldn't be replaced in the field. Who could blame Morkel: it was a final.
The officials, led by match referee, Gerrie Pienaar, knew they would have to wait eight minutes before asking questions. That's the amount of time allotted for absences before players are liable to be lumped with penalties restricting their further participation in the match.
Once the eight minutes had elapsed, Brad White, the reserve umpire, was dispatched to the Lions dressing room with questions. According to a source with first-hand knowledge of the situation, White "didn't get a straight answer." So Pienaar himself did the same thing. This time, the answer was straight: Elvis had left the building. With that, the substitute fielder was ordered off and the Lions were down to 10 men.
Jono Leaf-Wright, the Lions chief executive, spent much of Monday giving reporters versions of this quote: "I'm extremely disappointed with Beyers. This is not the kind of conduct we, as the Lions, expect from our players. He has let down his team-mates and the union."
The Lions are in no mood to sign Swanepoel's NOC. Instead, they are conducting an investigation, which is allowing several parties to dodge questions.
"Worcestershire County Cricket Club is aware of the reports concerning Beyers Swanepoel's departure from the Lions' One-Day Cup final in South Africa on Sunday," the county said. "Beyers is due to join Worcestershire ahead of the start of the county championship this week. We are in the process of establishing the full facts and, while that is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
Swanepoel's agent, Donovan Kretschmer, was approached. "At this stage we are not in a position to comment on the details of the matter," Kretschmer said. "We can confirm that we are in ongoing discussions with CSA and the Lions, and that all appropriate processes and protocols are being followed. I'll get in touch with you once the process has concluded."
"We have been engaging with the Lions and CSA," Andrew Breetzke, SACA's chief executive, said. "We are awaiting finalisation of the Lions investigation and will then review relative to the player contract, the [Memorandum of Understanding between SACA and CSA, which includes NOC regulations], and player agent regulations."
That's a lot of murk. Here's a clear question: who books the flight in instances like this? "The county does, but with the input of the player and his agent," an experienced agent said. "Put it this way, it wouldn't have been a unilateral decision by Worcestershire to put Beyers on that flight."
Worcestershire paid the money for Swanepoel's flight but didn't make the booking. Neither, apparently, did Kretschmer. If that's true, surely it was Swanepoel who cleared himself for take-off seven overs early. That's one for the money, two for the no-show.
Swanepoelâs actions have placed the spotlight firmly on a waning domestic product. While the Lions and Titans, along with the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins, are still able to attract a fair share of sponsors and remain financially stable, the remainder of the provincial unions are running at an alarming financial loss.
Situations like these don't help the situation and could even have the Lionsâ commercial partners questioning their commitment to a union when a playerâs own commitment comes under scrutiny. The global cricket landscape has changed dramatically in a short period of time where player power has become a commodity due to the abundance of lucrative T20 Leagues around the world.
The fact that Swanepoel left midway through the game â and a final on top of it â shows an entirely different level of gumption and disrespect, which has been allowed to creep in steadily over the past few years. Its not only a slap in the face of his home union, but the entire domestic game.
Apart from the Lions, Cricket South Aafrica will need to show a firmer hand in future if they are to preserve whatâs left of the domestic game, which remains the primary nursery for producing future Proteas.
Meanwhile, Belgian striker, Romelu Lukaku, has continually skipped training sessions with his current Italian side, Napoli. He could face disciplinary action after Napoli claimed the striker ignored a request to attend training.
The 32-year-old has missed a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury and has yet to start a game. Lukaku last week withdrew from Belgium's squad for internationals against the USA and Mexico, opting instead to focus on his fitness.
Napoli expected him to return to Italy but they say the former Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United player didn't report for training on Tuesday.
"Romelu Lukaku did not respond to today's call-up for the resumption of training," Napoli said in a statement. "The club reserves the right to decide whether to take appropriate disciplinary action, as well as whether to continue the player's activity with the squad on a permanent basis."
Lukaku has played just 64 minutes of football this season. The ex-Inter Milan forward has 124 caps for his country and is aiming to feature at a fourth World Cup this summer.
Belgium's all-time leading scorer, with 89 goals, said on Monday that he "could never turn his back on Napoli" and that he wants nothing more than to "play and make my team win."
Lukaku, whose father Roger died in September, said: "This season has been very challenging for me, between the injury and personal loss. I know there has been a lot of noise over the last few days about my situation and it is important to clarify everything."
Romelu Lukaku, on Monday, defended his decision to undergo treatment in his home country rather than at his club after pulling out of Belgiumâs World Cup warm-up matches in the United States.
The 32-year-old has barely played this season because of injury but said that success for Napoli and his national team were all he wanted.
"This season has been a lot for me from dealing with the injury and the personal loss (of his father)," Napoli striker Lukaku posted on Instagram. "I know there has been a lot of noise about my situation in the last few days and itâs important to clarify the whole situationâŚ"
"The truth is the last few weeks I wasnât feeling right physically and I had it checked out while I was in Belgium and it showed that there was an inflammation and liquid on my hip flexor muscle."
After an injury-disrupted season, Lukaku withdrew last Tuesday from Belgiumâs World Cup warm-up friendlies â skipping the 5â2 win over co-hosts the United States and missing the upcoming match against Mexico.
"I chose to do the rehab in Belgium⌠(But) I could never turn my back on Napoli, never," he added, in response to internal criticism from the Serie A club and their supporters.
"Thereâs nothing more I would love to do than play and win (for) my team," he said. "But right now I have to make sure I am clinically 100 percent cause I havenât been recently and it took a toll mentally."
"The truth is that in recent weeks I didn't feel well physically, I underwent some checks while I was in Belgium and it turned out there was inflammation and fluid in the iliopsoas muscle, near the scar tissue."
"It is the second problem I have had since I returned at the beginning of November. I chose to do the rehabilitation in Belgium so that I can be ready when called upon."
Napoli have released a scathing official statement after Romelu Lukaku failed to report back to training following the international break.
The dispute stems from Lukaku's decision to undergo personal recovery away from the clubâs medical staff. Despite withdrawing from the Belgium squad last week citing fitness concerns, he opted to work with private trainers rather than returning to Naples, a move that was reportedly not authorized by the club.
Kevin De Bruyne admits Romelu Lukaku is 'not in a good situation' but feels that whatever happens at Napoli âgets amplified.â
"Thereâs always a lot of noise around Napoli. If something happens, it gets amplified. I donât know the details or what exactly happened," De Bruyne added, via Gazzetta, while on Belgium international duty.
"But itâs not a good situation for Romelu. There was a long-lasting injury, and I just hope he returns as soon as possible."
Napoli's hierarchy didn't mince words when addressing the 32-year-old's insubordination. The frustration within the club is palpable, with the board now weighing up a heavy fine or a total exclusion from the first-team squad.
In an official statement, the club said: "SSC Napoli can confirm that Romelu Lukaku did not respond to todayâs call to return to training. The club reserves the right to consider taking the appropriate disciplinary action, as well as to determine whether the player will continue to train with the team for an indefinite period."
These two players sure have big cojones to do what they did. These actions are really inappropriate. They're both not amateurs and thus should've known better. I hope that they both get punished severely. This will send a clear message that this kind of behaviour isn't acceptable.