New Zealand’s Prime Minister disregards Fiji threats – 2011 Rugby World Cup Update
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key, has discarded the Rugby World Cup threats by Fiji. John Key straight away announced today on June 1, that travel bans on Fiji’s military related persons will not be lifted. The Fiji Rugby Union has been asking
New Zealand Rugby Union and International Rugby Union to lift the stern bans against their military related personnel.
New Zealand Rugby Union and FRU are at logger heads with each other over the issue since 2006. New Zealand has banned the travel Fijian military related players and officials since 2006 after the countries military took over the democratic government of
the South Pacific nation.
Furthermore, New Zealand coupled the lifting of sanctions with the restoration of democracy in Fiji. On the other hand, the military government of Fiji has excluded any chance of fair and transparent elections before 2014. The FRU is in a fix and do not
know what to do under these kind of critical circumstances. The Rugby World Cup is starting in New Zealand with less than 100 days remaining.
Fiji was facing an international ban earlier on, but was cleared during the previous month. Now they are facing another dilemma as their best players can not travel to All Blacks’ soil due to the bans.
Talking to media in press a conference, PM John Key clarified that New Zealand is neither lifting the ban nor will it accept any pressure in this regard. John Key added, "We've been in a position for a long period of time where our expectations are Fiji
will make progress toward democratic elections. It's in the hands of the Fijians to change that position."
The Minister for RWC, Murray McCully, explained the Prime Minster’s statement and said, "Obviously they [the IRB] have an interest in seeing all the teams able to participate on the best terms possible. I understand that…. I volunteered that briefing for
them today because [the travel ban] does have some implications for Fiji's participation in the Rugby World Cup. Our position has been quite clear. He wanted some clarification. I told him that banned meant banned."
IRB is still silent on the issue and FRU wants to seek out a reasonable solution of the issue as soon as possible.
Tags: