The investigation into alleged racism in South African rugby was postponed Tuesday until next year so it doesn't burden the Springboks' buildup to next month's World Cup.
The decision was announced at a media conference headed by Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour, South African Rugby Football Union chief executive Mveleli Ncula, and SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd deputy managing director Songezo Nayo, said SARFU media spokesman Anthony MacKaiser.
SARFU wanted the team to prepare free of a growing controversy which has reportedly put coach Rudolf Straeuli's job at risk, dragged in former president Nelson Mandela, and even threatened television coverage of the World Cup starting on Oct. 10 in Australia.
The inquiry, led by retired judge Edwin King, was meant to start on Monday, but was delayed by legal proceedings by the South Africa Broadcasting Association, which wanted to telecast the injuiry live. When SARFU opposed SABC's application, the broadcaster hinted at not showing any World Cup matches.
The controversy has reopened old wounds in a country scarred by apartheid, and raised new questions about the depth of transformation.
It began last month when white lock Geo Cronje did not want to share a room with black teammate Quinton Davids at a Springbok training camp. Although he did not publicly state his reasons, Cronje was widely accused of racism.
A SARFU cleared Cronje of racism and apologies were offered to the player, including one from the governing African National Congress.
But Springboks media manager Mark Keohane then resigned a week ago, saying he could no longer work in an environment where racism and prejudice were excused and covered up. He left his former bosses with a 12,000-word report alleging incidents of racism and prejudice within the squad.
Keohane was critical of Straeuli's handling of the affair. Keohane said Mandela called Straeuli and asked the coach not to tolerate racism.
Keohane also alleged black midfielder Gcobani Bobo believed he was just making up quota numbers, black winger Ashwin Willemse wanted to play overseas after the World Cup because black players remained a minority in South Africa, that white Bulls players in the Bok squad ignored black autograph seekers, and white players queued for the team's white physiotherapist and ignored the black physio.
Keohane also claimed Springbok management covered up the guilt of Bakkies Botha, who bit Australian player Brendan Cannon in a match last month. Botha received an eight-week ban for attacking Cannon's face but was not charged with biting for lack of evidence.
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
MLB is experiencing an epidemic of guys being dudes. At ballparks all across the US, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the “Tarps Off” trend that is loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world. Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head. Soccer-like chants or singing usually follow — injecting a jolt of energy for a sport that is occasionally chided for its lack of energy inside the stadium. After getting its start in St Louis, Missouri, on
Hull City AFC are to play Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League after Southampton on Wednesday failed in their appeal against expulsion from the Championship playoff final for spying on opponents. Southampton were thrown out of the final on Tuesday and handed a four-point deduction for next season after they had beaten semi-final opponents Middlesbrough. “The original sanction of expulsion ... remains in place, as does the four-point deduction to be applied to the 2026/27 Championship table and the reprimand in respect of all charges,” the English Football League said in a statement. The final is to be played at Wembley
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: Officials, players and fans winging across all of North America are likely to make this the most polluting World Cup ever, say scientists The largest and likely most lucrative ever World Cup this summer could set a record for the most-polluting sporting event in history, environmental experts say. “Unlike the case of the Olympic Games, where the carbon footprints have been reducing over the last several editions, this is totally opposite in the case of FIFA men’s World Cup,” said David Gogishvili, a geographer at the University of Lausanne (Unil). The summer’s World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams for the first time. It is being played in three countries — Mexico, Canada and the US — for the first time. It is going to
RSS