Fiji promises to clear mess after IRB suspends fund
Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:45am GMT
Not paid: Fiji head coach Ben Ryan is chaired of the field by his players after Fiji won the Dubai Sevens in November. Photo: Getty Images
(Reuters) - The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) blamed its previous management on Sunday for the administrative mess that prompted the game's global governing body to suspend all direct financial support to the pacific island nation.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) on Saturday announced it had "reluctantly" taken the decision after the FRU failed to assure it was appropriately moving to address "significant concerns regarding the administration and governance of the Union."
The sanction followed an IRB review of Fiji's request for emergency financial assistance in May last year.
The governing body said they committed $1.81 million (£1.1 million) to Fiji in 2013 as well as "significant additional financial assistance" to participate in international tournaments in the same year.
"The IRB ... will work closely with FORU (Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions) and the FRU to ensure that all administration and governance reforms are delivered and funding is reinstated," it added.
The FRU said they were not to blame for the imbroglio.
"All these issues were inherited by this current FRU board and the board expects to clear up all these issues by end of May 2014," it said in a statement.
(Writing by Amlan Chakraborty. Editing by Patrick Johnston)
