Samoan star Eliota Sapolu Fuimaono cleared to play after criticism of IRB - Rugby World Cup News
Eliota Sapolu Fuimaono, a veteran player for Samoa, has been cleared to participate in the upcoming matches of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) after he fell into a controversy for bashing the International Rugby Board (IRB) about its double standards.
Fuimaono slammed the IRB after Samoa suffered a close defeat by Wales for its tight schedule and said Samoa has been treated like a slave country. The IRB had actually finalised the RWC schedule way in advance of the global showpiece event. They had provided
three days of rest for Samoa, while Wales had seven days to recuperate before the same match.
The Samoan side, which was looking in form after defeating the Namibian side by a valuable difference of 49-12, was given less time to prepare for their next clash and Sapolu Fuimaono declared the IRB the responsible for their defeat at the hands of Wales.
He expressed his outrage in quite open words against the IRB on social website Twitter and asked the governing body to stop its double standards with the associated nations especially Samoa. He argued on the same site that if Samoa was given equal time for
the preparations they were likely to tear apart the Welsh side.
IRB and Rugby World Cup Ltd took notice of Sapolu Fuimaono’s offensive remarks and asked him to clear his stance over the inappropriate comments. RWCL released a statement after discussing the issue with the Samoan management and said they have received
an official apology and had acknowledged it.
The statement further reads, “While RWCL believes the nature of the comments to be inappropriate and has warned the Samoa Rugby Union regarding future social media conduct, RWCL has accepted an official apology and is satisfied with the proactive measures
that the Union has outlined to RWCL to address the matter. There will be no further action, and RWCL considers the matter to be closed.”
Eliota Sapolu Fuimaono tweets included statements like, “Ok, it's obvious the IRB are unjust. Wales get 7 days, we get 3. Unfair treatment, like slavery, like the holocaust, like apartheid.” To avoid such an unpleasant situation in the global event, New
Zealand Rugby Union had banned the use of Tweeter for its players during Rugby World Cup.
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