The Asia Cup 2022 will kick off in less than 10 days in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cricket is a popular sport in this wealthy West Asian nation which has played host to Sri Lankan as well as India - Pakistan on its soil for decades.
However, it is undeniable that the country has a seedy and dark underbelly when it comes to cricket and illegal betting. In fact the UAE is known as a paradise for illegal betting and bookies.
Prevalent in all forms of cricket tournaments played in the country, illegal betting has become a common feature allowed to carry on unabated since the 1980s when the UAE first began playing the sport.
This can be put down to several reasons. Among them is that the UAE employs a large number of Indian and Pakistani migrant workers providing their labour, time and effort to the strengthening of the UAE economy.
As a result of this the UAE maintains close diplomatic relations with both countries allowing them to even influence the decisions taken by the UAE Government. On the other hand most of the illegal betting on sports, especially cricket takes place in India and Pakistan made into a thriving business by its bookies.
Kingpin
One of India’s and perhaps the world’s most wanted men, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is possibly the kingpin of illegal betting in India, Pakistan as well as the UAE.
Ibrahim, also South Asia’s kingpin when it comes to drug smuggling, is said to be the mastermind of illegal betting on cricket.
Ibrahim is wanted by India and the United States on the charges of murder, extortion, targeted killing, drug trafficking, terrorism, and various other cases.
He was designated as a global terrorist in 2003 by India and the United States, with a reward of US$ 25 million on his head for his believed role in the 1993 Bombay bombings. But the most wanted man has managed to stay elusive.
His whereabouts unknown, he continues to be one step ahead of the intelligence agencies of both countries including the CIA, FBI and RAW.
In 2011, he was named number three on ‘The World’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives’ by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. Despite Pakistan including him in a list of most wanted persons recently, India has over the years alleged that its hostile neighbour has been providing shelter to Ibrahim.
According to some reports Ibrahim is reportedly living in Karachi though Pakistan has on many occasions vehemently denied these claims.
Ibrahim born to a Police Constable father in Maharashtra is now 66 years of age.
Crime
Beginning his acts of criminality in his teens, Ibrahim made crime his chosen career when he joined the gang of a local smuggler named Bashu Dada. In the late 70s in a bid to make it big in the world of crime Ibrahim started his own underworld gang together with his brother Shabir Ibrahim.
But Shabir would meet his end at the hands of another gang, making Dawood the leader of their gang. Following his brother’s death, Ibrahim reinvents his gang calling it D-Company carries out mainly activities relating to gold smuggling, real estate, extortion and drug trafficking. Next he would try his hand at international drug smuggling making billions in the process.
After being named as the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai attacks Dawood Ibrahim escaped to Dubai from where he carried out his criminal activities without any hindrance becoming the number one international drug smuggler in South Asia. At the time it was also reported that Ibrahim was making a fortune by selling arms illegally to the Al-Qeida terrorist organisation and that he was a key player in the large scale drug and illegal arms mafia trade in India.
Terrorists
His home country has named him a traitor and accused him of supporting Pakistani terrorists to carry out the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. It is said Ibrahim has invested billions in companies in Karachi, Dubai and many major Indian cities while also funding terrorist organisations.
Dawood Ibrahim only entered the cricketing world much later. Already a rich tycoon, it is said Ibrahim was able to double his lifetime earnings through cricket alone. It is alleged Ibrahim’s gang fully runs the illegal betting network spanning India, Pakistan, UAE and a number of other countries in the world.
Ibrahim supposedly began his illegal betting syndicate from a cricket match held in the late 80s, becoming linked to a number of incidents that have brought disrepute to cricketing countries. For example, around a decade ago incidents of Pakistani cricketers spot fixing matches were linked to Ibrahim including the incident where fast bowler Mohamed Asif was accused of deliberately bowling no-balls in return for payment from a betting syndicate. This resulted in Asif and two other players, Salman Butt and Mohamed Amir being banned from the sport. Amir however later joined cricket once more and was able to contribute to Pakistani cricket.
It was reported that Dawood Ibrahim had tipped off international bookies that Mohamed Asif would bowl two no balls in a specific over during the match and had also directed Asif to carry out the act. The total bets placed had amounted to 300 crores in Indian rupees. However, unfortunately instead of two no balls, Asif bowled three during that over leading to an upset among the businessmen in India who had bet on the game. It is said they had demanded the money they had bet, and in a bid to keep their racket under wraps Ibhrahim had to pay them off and bear the loss.
Many Pakistani cricketers have been linked to Dawood Ibrahim over the years. His betting syndicate was always present at matches played in Sharjah, UAE and these links were carefully explained in the Justice Qayyum report ordered by Pakistan.
These connections were only further proven and bolstered through the marriage of Ibrahim’s daughter Mahrukh Ibrahim, married Junaid Miandad, the son of Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad. Despite earning through criminality, Ibrahim was able to marry off his children to respected and rich families. In 2011, his daughter Mehreen married Ayub, a Pakistani – American and his son Moin married Saniya, daughter of a London-based businessman on September 25, 2011.
Former South African Cricket Captain Clive Rice later said that the mafia betting syndicates had a hand in the mysterious deaths of Hansy Cronje who was banned from the game for life for match-fixing and the death of South African Bob Woolmer, the coach of the Pakistan team during the 2007 World Cup.
Despite Rice not making the allegation outright, it was evident he was speaking of Dawood Ibrahim and accusing him of the murders of the duo.
Many Indian and Pakistani cricketers have fallen to Ibrahim’s trap.
Some are now retired. Others rejoined cricket after their bans were lifted.
It is also no secret that Ibrahim has links to the Indian film industry. Many film producers have benefitted through him as well as actors and actresses in the industry.
Despite a red notice out on him by the Interpol, Ibrahim managed to live safely in Dubai. He had managed to remain elusive by assuming various aliases created for him by officials working for his D-Company. Each false identity is said to have a passport linked to it.
It is said Ibrahim often invests the black money earned through various ventures in legitimate businesses around the world. However, no law enforcement agency has been able to trace these funds back to Ibrahim.
While the Indian Premier League was held in Dubai in 2020 and 2021 accusations of match fixing were levelled at several cricketers while information on bookies were also revealed, proving that Ibrahim has also managed to make inroads into the IPL as well.
Therefore, it is unlikely that his D-Company will have no hand in the upcoming Asia Cup as well. With Sri Lanka playing host to the series despite the matches being played in the UAE, perhaps only the International Cricket Council and the Asian Cricket Association’s involvement and proactive efforts can ensure a successful tournament free of any criminal elements.
This article is an English translation of Fauz Mohamed