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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THERE has been some respite for the Zimbabwe Sables who were on Tuesday morning moved to another hotel in Tunisia following the intervention of Rugby Africa.
Images of the Sables sleeping on the streets of Beja, a city some 105 kilometres from the Tunisia capital Tunis brought about widespread condemnation on social media. The players decided to find shelter outside the hotel where they were meant to stay as it was substandard.
In a statement, Rugby Africa said they had been alerted of the troubles the Zimbabwean team had regarding their accommodation and gave an assurance that the Sables have been taken to another hotel which they were happy with.
“Rugby Africa has been made aware of the difficulties encountered by the Zimbabwean Rugby team – the Sables – with regards to their accommodation in Tunisia. We would like to reassure the Zimbabwean Ministry of Sports, Zimbabwe Rugby Union, and all partners and fans that the situation was addressed immediately, and an acceptable solution has been found this morning. Tunisia Rugby Union took the Sables management to visit another hotel which was accepted,’’ read a statement from Rugby Africa.
The continental body expressed regret over the treatment of the Sables in North Africa and stated that this does not in any way reflect on the levels of the Rugby Africa Gold Cup.
“Rugby Africa and Tunisia Rugby Union would like to express their sincere apologies to the Sables team and management for this unfortunate situation. This does not reflect the standards of the Rugby Africa Gold Cup competition and we sincerely regret any prejudice caused.”
Khaled Babbou, an executive member of Rugby Africa, is currently on his way to Beja to inspect the facilities and meet with the Sables team.
“I apologise on behalf of Tunisia Rugby Union, we pride ourselves in hosting Rugby Africa tournaments every year and make every effort to meet the best international standards in terms of accommodation and other infrastructure. Something went wrong for which I am sorry, but this was corrected this morning in consultation with the Sables management team. I can assure you that there was absolutely no intention to destabilise our opponents and we will make every possible effort to ensure they have a good preparation ahead of Saturday’s match,” said Babbou.
The President of Rugby Africa Abdelaziz Bougja confirmed “our hosting agreements are signed by the six participating unions in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup and are very clear and strict in terms of accommodation standards. We rely on our unions to make sure the requirements are met and it is unfortunate that it seemed not to be the case with this hotel in Tunisia.
“However Tunisia Rugby Union has our trust, they are long term partners to Rugby Africa, hosting several matches and tournaments on our behalf every year, I know for a fact that hospitality matters to them and they have taken this issue very seriously and are rectifying it. Player welfare is at the heart of our preoccupations so we are not taking this lightly.
“We wish both teams the best for Saturday’s game. The Gold Cup has been a huge success so far, helping to raise standards of African rugby, and popularity of the Game, we would like to thank the six teams , six hosting unions, ministries of sports, our broadcaster Kwese Sports and all our partners and sponsors for their support and assistance.”
Zimbabwe take on Tunisia in their third match of the Gold Cup, which is serving as a 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier. The Sables, beaten 45-36 by Kenya on Saturday must win against Tunisia to continue having any interest in the qualification process. Zimbabwe are fourth on the log with just two points while Namibia are on top of the log with 15, followed by Kenya on eight and Morocco with three.
Winners of the 2018 Rugby Africa Gold Cup will automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup in Japan while the runners up also have a chance of going to the tournament via the repechage process, which is a playoff against second placed teams from other continental qualifiers.
North Africans are notorious for their unwelcoming way of hosting Zimbabwean sporting teams. This is despite the fact that they are booked into some of the best hotels when their teams come to Zimbabwe. Morocco, who drew 23-23 with Zimbabwe on 16 June stayed at Cresta Oasis in Harare.
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Bongani Ndlovu