Fiji Star Demands ‘Serious Change’ After Shocking ‘Crazy Matter’ Nearly Sparks Rugby World Cup Boycott.

This comes after Fiji’s captain at the tournament, Waisea Nayacalevu, stated that the World Cup quarter-final match against England almost didn’t happen as the players threatened to strike over unpaid incentives and corruption.

Threat of a World Cup strike

“Corruption exists in the Fiji rugby organization.” We were going to walk out of the match against England, not play it. They made us promises, but we never received them. The Daily Mail was informed that Nayacalevu had guaranteed a bonus.

“I planned a Zoom call, a presentation, and everything else while we were lodging in Marseille to discuss the things they had committed to cover. We told them that no one would be able to participate in the quarterfinal if they didn’t pay by the deadline.

Levani Botia, a teammate of Nayacalevu, has affirmed his assertions that there was a threat of a strike, saying that he and other senior players in the club had to continuously reminding players to concentrate on the games and not their salary.

“We persisted in encouraging the players to participate because we always stress that we need to play and not worry about the money; FRU will take care of their business, and we trusted them to do so, so some of the boys did not receive their bonus or their payment,” he said to FBC Sports.

The call from Matavesi

Matavesi, meantime, has thrown his weight behind the calls for reform following what he called a “crazy matter” during the competition.

Fiji have advanced to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time since 2007. The mayhem off the field diverted attention from their goal of defeating England once more, having already done so in the lead-up to the competition at Twickenham.

“It’s an absurd situation,” Matavesi told AFP.

“I believe that the Fiji rugby board has to undergo significant change going forward.

“Everyone must be moving in the appropriate direction.

“Serious change is required if you want to see Fiji in the top eight or six of the world rankings and more World Cup quarterfinals.”

Four games remain for Fiji until the year ends. The Pacific Nations Cup was won by a side consisting primarily of backup players without any European stars.

They have Murrayfield slated to host their match against Scotland, Wales, Spain, and Ireland outside of the regular World Rugby international calendar.

Despite the problems with the Fiji board, he and his center Semi Radradradra have made themselves available to the Flying Fijians. He and his Lyon colleague will miss the match against Scotland.

“The next thing is just getting picked; if the game is in the window, we’re both available to play,” he continued.

Matavesi will be concentrating on the next Top 14 matchup with La Rochelle in the interim, as Lyon has won three of their first four games of the new campaign.