MELBOURNE - Cricket fans found to be racist will be banned from the MCG for life.
The unprecedented Boxing Day Test crackdown involves undercover surveillance officers watching the crowd at the Australia-India match as part of the zero tolerance approach from Cricket Australia and the MCC, report News
Ltd newspapers.
People uttering offensive taunts, towards either side, will be evicted from the famous stadium.
Serious offences will result in lifetime bans from the MCG.
The anti-racism plan will include:
* Checks by police and staff for racist slogans on placards and banners.
* Calls to dob in racist fans via a text service or stadium staff.
*A 24 hour hot-line for Indian players to call if they suffer racial abuse.
Players will not escape the crackdown.
Umpires are instructed to report racist behaviour.
Cricket Australia anti-racism officer Peter Young said the sport was taking a zero tolerance approach to racism on and off the field.
"Our message to any mindless people who are thinking of going down that path is we won't tolerate that sort of thing," he said.
"We will find anyone who does it, they will be ejected from the ground and they face life bans from ever re-entering the ground."
Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds was racially vilified on tour in India in October.
Symonds said he expected to be singled out by Indian fans.
"I always cop it," Symonds said.
Mr Young said racism was defined by cricket chiefs as anything that insulted, offended, humiliated, intimidated, threatened, discouraged or vilified on the basis of race, religion, colour, nationality or ethnicity.
Melbourne Cricket Club president Stephen Gough said the club would back the plans.
A crowd of 75,000 is tipped for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, with perfect weather forecast for the day, tipped to peak at 26 degrees Celsius.
- AAP
