This has just appeared on Cricinfo's blog, The Surfer. It's from the pro-Mugabe government-controlled Herald
Zimbabwe Cricket dismiss claims
Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Cricket have dismissed reports that have been circulating on international cricket website CricInfo that a vote of no confidence has been passed on their board of directors by the provincial chairmen.
The country’s cricket authorities believe CricInfo’s coverage of events in this country has clearly been biased against the board since its fallout with rebel white cricketers.
The website’s uses a correspondent who uses a pseudonym Stephen Price who has clearly taken sides with those who are rebelling against the board’s authority.
Yesterday ZC issued a Press release to dismiss the reports that there was a no confidence vote in the board of directors. The board said such a move was outlawed in their constitution.
But instead, board members are appointed through a constitutional procedure and will also be removed in the same way.
"The point to note is that people are appointed onto the ZC board through a constitutional mechanism and can only be removed by due process, which does not include the move reported to have been taken by the provincial chairmen.
"The chairmanship and vice-chairmanship of the organisation is determined by the 12 directors among themselves at their first meeting following the annual meeting.
"That board meeting has not taken place yet as we have been struggling to get a quorum. We expect it to hold the meeting soon.
"Notwithstanding the fact that we have just published financial statements which were passed by an international firm of auditors without a single qualification.
"If there are specific items that the provincial chairmen want to be forensically audited, we are happy to immediately provide for this," read the statement.
And cricinfo replies;
What the article, a thinly-disguised plant by the board, fails to grasp is that reporting the truth is not taking sides. It also fails to deny that the meeting and vote of no confidence referred to took place. Zimbabwe’s stakeholders are fed up with the management, and no end of media manipulation can hide that fact. This is the paper that ignored the defeats by Kenya, and neglected to mention any of the anti-board incidents which have occured in recent months.
And why does our man in Harare use a pseudonym? Because in Zimbabwe, journalists who oppose authority have an unfortunate record of being singled out for persecution. The pseudonym is not cowardice so much as self preservation.
I wonder who Stephen Price really is, then? I won't divulge who I think he might be.