ICC TROPHY 2001
ICC MEDIA RELEASE

25th June 2001
ITALY WITHDRAWS FROM ICC TROPHY
Italy has withdrawn its team from the ICC Trophy tournament in Toronto,Canada following a disagreement over player qualification rules.
The decision follows confirmation of the player Qualification Rules for the ICC Trophy by ICC Associate members at their annual meeting in London on Saturday, 16th June. Italy was of the view that players who become citizens at birth of a country other than where they were physically born should be included in the birth category of the tournament Rules.
Following the decision of the Associates meeting on the non-eligibility of the four Italian players who came into this category, Italy decided to withdraw from the 2001 ICC Trophy.
FCI President, Simone Gambino, said: "Citizenship by birth is a matter of national sovereignty for a country. We strongly disagree with ICC's right to discriminate within the framework of Italian law. However, on the understanding that the whole matter is about to be reviewed and the principles that Italy has fought for will be considered, Italy accepts today's decision for the good of the game."
ICC President, Malcolm Gray commented: "We respect Italy's right to reach this decision, but the other Associate countries involved in the ICC Trophy  nonetheless regret the fact that Italy will not now be competing.
The issue of birth and citizenship is an increasingly complex one and ICC will be undertaking a full review of player qualification rules for all events under its auspices, from Test match cricket to regional under 19 competitions.
For more information, please contact: 

Mark Harrison
ICC Communications Manager
Tel: 020 7266 7913/1818
Email: mark.harrison@icc.cricket.org
Mob: 0787 944 1891
La Federazione Cricket Italiana è "Associate Member" del I.C.C., "Member" del E.C.C., "Disciplina Associata" del C.O.N.I. 


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Prodotto da Luca Bruno webmaster@crickitalia.org
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Further Comment on this written at the time.

Subsequently with the threat of Legal action by the Italian government and a reference to the Court of Sports Arbitration at Lausanne ICC took legal advice and reversed their pre Competition decision. By which time the competition was completed and Italy left out in the cold.

Somewhat perversely the Nation that won this Tournament, Netherlands, over the next two decades were to create a team mostly of Dutch origin players born and brought up in Test Cricket playing countries, albeit with residence qualifications and sometimes acquired Nationality..

From being a leading Associate that regularly produced county cricketers developed in the Dutch domestic game it has become a team with barely a player whose game has developed as a boy and teenager in Holland. So much for ICC Europe’s development process.

ICC Trophy Canada 2001