Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has raised concerns about persistent maladministration within the Fiji Rugby Union following recent tensions involving former Flying Fijians captain Waisea Nayacalevu and the union.
Rabuka says that when issues of mismanagement at last year’s World Cup first came to his attention, he recognized ongoing administrative problems within the FRU.
Waisea Nayacalevu had made claims about corruption and poor management at the FRU in an interview with Daily Mail UK earlier this week.
At a recent meeting where it was decided that the government would not intervene in the FRU’s operations, Rabuka indicated that the decision was accepted with the understanding that it was the FRU’s responsibility to manage its own affairs.
“When those things came to me, I knew there was some maladministration continuing in Fiji Rugby Union. And at the last meeting, when they finally decided that the government will have no role in the running of the FRU, I said, okay, it is their organization, they deal with it as they see fit.”
After the Flying Fijians threatened to boycott last year’s World Cup quarterfinal match against England, the PM said he told the then interim administrator Simione Valenitabua to ask the team to train and that the government will send the money instead of FRU.