Indian Premier League 2 : IPL 2 : IPL 2009

CHANDIGARH: There is little to cheer about the latest IPL controversy surrounding cheerleaders already pilloried by some blinkered quarters for showing too much skin. This time it’s about the colour of skin.

Just before the April 19 inaugural T20 encounter between Team Mohali and Team Chennai, a racially tinged incident on the sidelines was quietly unfolding. Two ‘dark-skinned’ cheerleaders from London have claimed that they were told to sit out and not take the stage because they weren’t white.

The two girls were reportedly seen sobbing outside the grounds. They claimed that officials from Wizcraft International Entertainment, the event management company hired by the Mohali team franchisee, had asked them to leave the Mohali stadium.

The two victims of alleged racism - Ellesha Newton and Sherinne Anderson - are on record saying that when asked why, they were being asked to leave, some Wizcraft employees simply told them it was because of the colour of their skin.

Fierce Performance Production, a company with offices in Mumbai and London, brought a team of 12 cheerleaders to root for Team Mohali. Director of the company, Jorge Aldana, confirmed the incident and said the two girls were allowed to perform only after he waded in and took up the matter with Wizcraft officials.

On Tuesday, Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizkraft, the event management company hired by the Mohali team franchisee, refuted the allegations.

“No such incident took place on April 19. They are totally fabricated and seem to have been raised with some ulterior motive. We had a contract with the cheerleading team in question for the first two matches. All payments have been made and we have nothing to do with them anymore,” he said.

When contacted, Punjab Cricket Association treasurer, GS Walia, said, “We aren’t aware of any such incident.”

Team Mohali CEO Neil Maxwell couldn’t be contacted for comment. Other cheer teams -such as the Washington Redskins, brought in by Team Bangalore -have African-Americans on the squad. But this is the first time colour has become an issue.

“Stopping anyone from performing on the basis of colour of skin is not only illegal but unconstitutional. If such a thing has happened, especially against women coming from abroad, it should be condemned and action taken against those at fault,” said Manjeet Sandhu, district secretary of the Chandigarh chapter of All-India Democratic Women’s Association.