Cronje funeral to be held on Wednesday

The funeral of former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje will be held on Wednesday in Bloemfontein amid confusion over who will be welcome.

In a radio interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, Cronje's father Ewie confirmed local media reports that the family had sent two letters to the executive of the United Cricket Board (UCB), the first saying that their presence would not be welcome, the second saying that anyone who wanted to could attend.

He said: "The UCB executive had recently said that it did not associate with Hansie Cronje...In the light of that, and also in the light of statements that were made now after his death, we said that it's better that UCB executive are not welcome to attend the funeral."

However he added that after the family had consulted Cronje's widow Bertha she said that anyone who wanted to attend was welcome to do so, saying that this would have been her late husband's wish.

Cronje, 32, died on Saturday when a cargo plane he was travelling in slammed into a mountain in the Western Cape province. The pilot and co-pilot were also killed in the crash.

He stunned the cricket world two years ago when admitting he had accepted around $130,000 from bookmakers to influence the course of matches. He was subsequently banned for life from the professional game.

The elder Cronje also questioned why the South African public were suddenly supporting the family.

"For two years and two months we didn't have the support of the people. Why now?" he asked.

Cronje's reputation has been posthumously rehabilitated in the local press, most of which vilified him at the height of the match-fixing scandal.

Mail Cricket Editor