Opinions vary on Waisea Nayacalevu’s outbursts against the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) this week.
The former Flying Fijians captain, for example, is now officially banned by the FRU and may have played his final game for Fiji against the All Blacks.
That remains to be seen, however.
Some have questioned the logic of releasing the story this week, ahead of Fiji’s Pacific Nations Cup final versus Japan in Tokyo.
Others say the now-Sale-based player in England made some valid comments in his candid interview with the Daily Mail.
However, one thing is certain: the FRU’s current condition appears to be long-term.
While the FRU Interim Trustees Board appears to have made every effort to restructure and implement a new system, old habits may take some time to fade away.
The tendency of paying allowances and dues to players late or not at all has persisted.
It occurred 15 years ago, 2023, and again this week.
It is debatable if Nayacalevu used the word “corruption” correctly.
However, he is using the Fijian term lawaki ca, which loosely translates to the English term “corruption”.
FRU Interim Chairman Peter Mazey took offense and requested evidence of such practices at Valekau, Fiji Rugby’s long-time headquarters.
However, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, a former Flying Fijian, appears to believe Nayacalevu’s outburst has reopened the can of worms.
Now, while the FRU hurried to respond to Nayacalevu’s comments, we learnt that the Fijian union was unable to handle the threat made by the players in Marseille to boycott the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against England.
As they considered what boycotting the game would imply for Fiji Rugby, the FRU concluded they required the help of a higher authority.
Alas! They resorted to the same body they’d resolved not to let interfere with Rugby House decisions: the Fijian government and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
So it was the Prime Minister who consolidated financial backing and sorted out the participants.
“When those things came to me, I knew there was some maladministration going on in the Fiji Rugby Union,” he wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.
“And at the last meeting, when they (FRU) eventually agreed that the government would have no part in the operation of the FRU, I responded, okay, it is their organization; they can deal with it as they see proper.
“While it is FRU’s obligation to manage their own issues, my priority has always been to help our Flying Fijians.
“When the squad threatened to boycott last year’s World Cup quarterfinal match, I told then-interim administrator Simione Valenitabua, ‘Let the team train, and the government will send the money’.
“Our national team deserves nothing less than our full backing.”
That information, delivered to Nayacalevu and the players, averted what could have been a big catastrophe for Fiji Rugby.
