Image courtesy of: The Sydney Morning Herald
Arthur claimed he was subjected to racial abuse and scapegoating during his tenure as head coach
Former Australia coach Mickey Arthur’s legal claims have been leaked, in which he stated that Test captain Michael Clarke considered all-rounder Shane Watson to be “a cancer” on the national team.
Arthur also noted that he was the victim of racial abuse during his tenure as head coach.
The Seven Network reported that Arthur was seeking AUD 4 million in compensation from Cricket Australia over his termination, which came two years before his contract was supposed to expire.
The network further reported that the documents claimed there were “major tensions” between Clarke and Watson, and that Arthur felt like he was “the meat in the sandwich”.
Arthur was infuriated that his private documents had been leaked to the public, and said: “I am extremely upset and disappointed that confidential documents appear to have been given by others to the media. The matters raised in my application to the FWC concerning issues within the Australian cricket team are very sensitive, which is why I was at pains to keep them confidential, especially at this time.
“I have kept them confidential,unfortunately others have now made them public. I want to stress how important to me the members of the team were, and still remain to me. The welfare of the Australian cricket team is utmost to me.”
The former coach’s legal representation confirmed the documents claims that Arthur had been the victim of racial abuse and scapegoating.
“We can confirm that last week Mickey Arthur filed proceedings on a number of grounds in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) Sydney for being sacked and scapegoated,” a spokesperson for Arthur’s law firm said. “The grounds include racial discrimination. This legal action was filed confidentially with FWC as Mickey was at pains to resolve this issue privately.”
Speaking about the leak, Clarke noted that the revelation of the team’s dirty secrets would not derail their mission of bringing home the coveted Ashes urn.
“First I’m not going to get involved in it, the most important thing is that we as a team are as focused as we can be,” Clarke said. “We’ve obviously got a huge game in front of us, the boys are feeling great, as we showed in the last Test match we’re here to fight and do as well as we possibly can in this Test series, and I think we showed that the other day.”
The documents also revealed that Watson had told Arthur about opening batsman David Warner’s bar brawl antics, which saw him punch England’s Joe Root at the Walkabout bar in Birmingham during the Champions Trophy.
As a result of his fists of rage, Warner was suspended and fined by Cricket Australia.
Watson had also previously denied any involvement with the Warner controversy.
The Seven Network also reported that the documents claimed Arthur’s decision to axe four players for the third Test against India in Mohali was not supported by Cricket Australia.
“We’re disappointed it has come to this position but Cricket Australia is confident in its position on this matter and I’m sure it will get resolved in an appropriate fashion,” Cricket Australia lawyer Dean Kino said.
Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Paul Marsh noted that he was “extremely disappointed by the allegations” and timing of the document’s claims and leakage.
“At Mickey’s departing press conference he talked about taking responsibility for the team’s performances and leaving the job with dignity,” Marsh said. “I fail to see how this course of action is consistent with his words and I am disappointed that this has been released before such an important Test match.
“Whilst I have genuine sympathy for Mickey’s current situation, I hope he can deal with his issues with Cricket Australia privately.”