Controversial rugby decision heats up as Israel Rugby Union demand answers

The hotly contested and controversial South African Rugby Union (SARU) decision to disinvite an Israeli rugby team from an upcoming tournament is escalating as the Israel Rugby Union (IRU) and rugby team Tel Aviv Heat (TAH) demand answers.

This week, the IRU demanded that SA Rugby provide more details regarding its decision to uninvite TAH from this coming season’s Mzansi Challenge tournament.

SA Rugby announced in January that the Israeli-based side would play in the new-look tournament that includes the Diables (Spain); Simbas (Kenya); Welwitschias (Namibia); and Goshawks (Zimbabwe). However, it reneged on this decision just days later, confirming that the club’s invitation had been withdrawn.

According to SA Rugby President Mark Alexander, security issues were the main reason for rescinding its invitation to Israel’s rugby team, and the decision was taken following “representations from multiple stakeholders”. There were also alleged “death threats” against members of SARU by anti-Israel lobbyists who also threatened to disrupt the tournament.

SARU’s decision has generated a lot of attention, and it has since faced a backlash, with organisations like the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) not happy with its cold feet. Angry individuals and organisations locally and abroad are demanding answers from SARU and other stakeholders on its decision.

A statement from TAH said SARU had until Wednesday, 22 February, to respond to questions raised by the IRU and the TAH regarding SARU’s decision to disinvite TAH from the Mzansi Challenge.

“SARU indicated that the decision to rescind the invitation was based on, ‘representations from multiple stakeholders’,” it said. “This goes against its own mandate as well as that of World Rugby, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, national or social origin, sex, politics, religion, or creed.

“IRU argues that there are criteria that prohibit incidents of this nature taking hold in the sport. Based on this, IRU and TAH have consulted local and international lawyers, and have since formally requested the relevant documentation needed in terms of disclosing the record of the decision taken by SARU. TAH is further contemplating high-court proceedings for damages, and has given SARU until 22 February for the team to be re-instated.”

TAH director of rugby, ex-South African Kevin Musikanth, said, “Our players, the bulk of which are South Africans of all races and religions, now lack earning opportunities.

“The Israeli players and players living and playing in Israel are in training, but we were preparing for a three-month competition up until 3 February, so the bulk of the squad is left without opportunity,” he told the SA Jewish Report.

Asked about the team morale, he said, “The players are largely very disappointed. More than that, those who relied on this for income are completely out of sorts. We had earmarked the Mzansi cup as a secondary competition for our rugby year, since the Super Cup in Europe, in which we are going into our third season, is only half the year. We had other options, but since the majority of our players are South African, this made the most logical sense. Since the last-minute withdrawal by SARU, we’re now left with no options, which has compromised our staff. Our intention was always to play in the Mzansi cup, which is what we were geared to do until our participation was withdrawn.”

Pete Sickle, the chief executive of TAH, said he hoped SARU would comply by disclosing the relevant documentation and “proceed in the manner that’s required by both the law and the spirit in which international sport is intended to be played”.

Earlier, a New Zealand High Court barrister, Ian Dunwoodie, filed a formal complaint with World Rugby in his personal capacity. The SA Jewish Report has formally requested information about the decision in terms of Section 53 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). SAFI has also written to SARU asking for the meeting minutes and the names of stakeholders that were consulted by SARU in making its decision. It has also submitted a PAIA request according to its spokesperson, Pamela Ngubane.

Dunwoodie, a rugby enthusiast, said SARU’s decision amounted to “multiple breaches” of World Rugby rules and regulations, and he has called for an enquiry and an investigation into SARU’s conduct.

SAFI said it noted the request for information that had been submitted to SARU by TAH and IRU, and hoped SARU would comply.

“For now, we remain concerned by a number of reports that have surfaced over the past weekend that have repeatedly indicated that the minister of sports, arts and culture, Nathi Mthethwa, was also involved in unduly pressurising SARU President Mark Alexander into rescinding the invitation to an Israeli-based rugby team,” SAFI said this week. “We hope SARU will investigate this claim fully, as such political interference, profiling, and discrimination in South African sport should never be tolerated at the hands of an African National Congress public representative.”

SAFI spokesperson Pamela Ngubane said the organisation further noted “concerning reports that the SARU president was on the receiving end of threats in the lead-up to his announcement of the Mzansi Challenge invite to Tel Aviv Heat. Initial reports indicated the alleged death threats may have originated from supporters of anti-Israel lobby groups, which SAFI sincerely hopes SARU will investigate expeditiously with the relevant local authorities in order to ensure Alexander’s safety.”

Weekend news reports suggested Alexander was experiencing security threats.

In a short statement on social media on 20 February, Alexander downplayed various news reports of threats to his life.

“It was silly individuals expressing their anger, not to be taken seriously,” he said.

TAH is a team comprised of players from a host of nations, including numerous South African players and less than a handful of Israeli players. The team is also a member of World Rugby and the International Olympic Committee.