Waisea Nayacalevu, the former captain of the Flying Fijians, made allegations of corruption in the union this week in an interview with an English newspaper. The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is seeking proof of this.
Chairman of the FRU Interim Board Peter Mazey expressed regret for Nayacalevu’s remarks in the Daily Mail, citing “serious accusations against the team at Rugby House” in particular, but he was also concerned.
He stated that FRU took the threat seriously and that they could not and would never risk a boycott by a rugby side from Fiji, much less the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal.
In a statement sent to the media in Suva on Tuesday night, Mazey stated, “The consequence of such a boycott would likely have been Fiji players and Fiji Rugby being expelled from participating in World Rugby matches.”
Even though the senior players and captain, Waisea Nayacalevu, were aware of this, they regrettably continued with their demands.
“The severe charges of corruption at Fiji Rugby worry us. We ought to have questioned him to find out exactly what he meant to say. Does he have any particular examples of corruption in mind? If so, kindly give the proof so that everyone can review it.
In a candid interview with Daily Mail rugby journalist Nick Simon, Nayacalevu disclosed that he and several other players were prepared to abstain from their 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal matchup against England. Nayacalevu went on to allege widespread corruption inside the Rugby House.
At the FRU headquarters in Suva, he validated a long-held belief about financial management and player welfare in Fiji.
The 34-year-old, who has more than 40 caps in the white jersey, said to the Daily Mail that corruption at FRU was pervasive and that it was necessary to “cut off” the “virus” in order for things to get better.
According to the Daily Mail report, Nayacalevu stated, “We’ve never said this in public, but it’s time for it to go out.”
“This infection has to be stopped; it has always existed.
“Corruption exists throughout the Fiji rugby organization. We were going to walk out of the match against England, not play it. They made promises to us, but we never received them. A bonus was promised to us.
“I planned a Zoom call, a presentation, and everything else while we were lodging in Marseille to discuss the things they had committed to cover. We told them that no one would be able to participate in the quarterfinal if they didn’t pay by the deadline.
According to Mazey, the FRU asked Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to intervene and provide support.
“Unfortunately, three days before the quarterfinal, the Team Manager arranged a Zoom meeting between the captain, some team members, and the Fiji Interim Rugby Administrator at that time,” Mazey said. “In that meeting, the captain and some players demanded payment of bonuses prior to the quarter final and they threatened Fiji Rugby that they would not play the quarterfinal match unless the bonuses were paid first.” He also confirmed that there were delays in processing the payments due to bank issues and that all money owed was paid out to the players and officials.
“We realized the impact this imposed on Fiji Rugby’s cash flows and took this threat seriously. We were forced to ask the Prime Minister for help from the government in order to pay the incentive far earlier than anticipated.
“An undertaking was given to the players by the Prime Minister’s Office that they would be paid the quarter final bonus they demanded, immediately after the quarters.”
