Former FIJI Water Flying Fijians Captain Waisea Nayacalevu’s outburst “will be addressed later”, says Fiji Rugby Union interim chair Peter Mazey yesterday.
Mazey also declined “to comment on the matter at this time”.
Nayacalevu, in a tell-all interview with the Daily Mail’s rugby correspondent Nick Simon, revealed that their Rugby World Cup quarter-final match against England was almost derailed because of a potential players boycott over unpaid bonuses and allegations of corruption within the FRU.
Nayacalevu disclosed that the team had considered striking if their promised bonuses were not honoured, shining a light on what he described as ongoing issues of financial mismanagement within the union.
“We’ve never said this in public, but it’s time for it to go out,” Nayacalevu was quoted as saying in the Daily Mail’s report.
In the report, Nayacalevu, who has played for about 10 years for the Flying Fijians, claimed corruption was rife within FRU, likening it to a “virus” that needed to be “cut off” for things to improve.
The report said Nayacalevu, along with senior players such as Semi Radradra and Levani Botia, took a stand to hold officials accountable, organising meetings to address the alleged broken promises.
Nayacalevu says the incident has been the same thing over and over again.
An email requesting information has been sent to FRU but this newspaper has yet to receive a response.
