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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
RUGBY Africa and Tunisia Rugby Union have apologised to the Zimbabwe Rugby Union and Government of Zimbabwe for the appalling treatment the senior national rugby team was subjected to resulting in them spending the night on the streets of the Tunisian city of Beja ahead of their Africa Gold Cup match on Saturday.
The Sables rejected the accommodation provided by Tunisia Rugby, describing it as disgusting and also complained that they had been held up at the airport for six hours as immigration authorities demanded visa payment.
However, according to the hosting agreement, the hosting union is responsible for providing accommodation and ensuring visiting teams are pre-cleared for smooth immigration formalities.
In a statement released yesterday, Rugby Africa and Tunisia Rugby Union said the situation had been addressed and an acceptable solution found.
Tunisia Rugby took the Sables’ management to another hotel, which was accepted.
“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,” read the statement.
Rugby Africa executive committee member Khaled Babbou yesterday left for Beja to inspect the facilities and met 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 good preparation ahead of Saturday’s match,” said Babbou.
The president of Rugby Africa Abdelaziz Bougja said the 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,” Bougja said.
“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,” he said.
Online Reporter