Best team or no team-PM

If Fiji cannot send the best team to the Australia 7s due to the travel sanctions, then don't send any team to Adelaide.

Those are the words of Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama following word that the Fiji Rugby Union is highly likely to drop top players, Dale Tonawai, Nikola Matawalu and Waqabaca Kotobalavu after the Hong Kong 7s next weekend because the three are unlikely to get visas to go to the Adelaide tournament.

Australia has taken a strong stance on it's travel sanctions, and continues to reject the visas of those in the military, navy and the government and those connected to them.

Tonawai is an army officer while Kotobalavu and Matawalu are navy officers.

Commodore Bainimarama has also questioned why the Fiji Rugby Union is not officially complaining to the International Rugby Board that Australia and NZ is not allowing Fiji to field it's best team when they host the tournaments.

He said the Fiji Rugby Union should stop playing politics and fight for the right to send the best team to the IRB sanctioned tournaments.    
Commodore Bainimarama said this needs to be done for rugby, and no other reason.

He highlighted the fact when world's soccer governing body, FIFA stepped in and cancelled a game between Fiji and NZ two years ago when NZ rejected the visa for goalkeeper, Simione Tamanisau, whose father-in-law to be was in the military.

That game, after FIFA's directive, did not go ahead in NZ.

Commodore Bainimarama questioned why this cannot be done by FRU.  
 
Meanwhile FRU's Interim Chairman, Rafaele Kasibulu said this year they have lobbied with the International Rugby Board to allow Fiji players with military ties to play in tournaments in Australia and New Zealand but the travel sanction is a government to government matter.

Kasibulu added that during the IRB CEO's visit to Fiji, they discussed the matter again with the rugby world governing body that have assisted them in showing their support through letters sent to the New Zealand and Australian High Commissions.

He said the Fiji 7s team cannot pull out of any IRB 7s tournaments as they have signed a participation agreement before the first competition in Dubai last year.

Meanwhile navy players, Waqabaca Kotobalavu and Nikola Matawalu were allowed to travel to the US to represent Fiji last month and had no problems in getting their visas.


Story by: Vijay Narayan & Dreu Vukailagi