Waisea, the former Stade Français and Toulon center now at Sale, revealed in the Daily Mail the eventful behind the scenes of the quarter-final against England.
Flashback. Moribund at the start of the last World Cup, England managed to find its form again to qualify for the sixth semi-final in its history, after giving itself a scare right to the end against the valiant Fijians (30-24) at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. The Pacific players managed to get back to level with the XV de la Rose (24-24) ten minutes from the final whistle. But it was ultimately the boot of fly-half Owen Farrell, with a drop goal (72nd), then a final penalty (77th), which sent England into the last four, to face South Africa, the future world champion.
But it had not all been easy for Fiji. In an interview with the British tabloid Daily Mail the three-quarter center Waisea Nayacalevu, who played for Stade Français and Toulon before bouncing back with Sale Sharks, reveals that his team almost didn’t play this elimination match. The reason? The supposed corruption of the Fijian leaders. “This has never been discussed publicly, but it is time for it to come out.says Nayacalevu. We must get rid of this virus that has always been present.”
I have been representing Fiji for over ten years now and it is always the same.
Waisea
And Waisea snapped: “Corruption is alive and well in Fijian Rugby. We decided not to play the match against England, we wanted to leave: “If you don’t pay, no one will go to play this quarter-final.”» Adding that the leaders “promised us things we never got. They promised us a bonus.”
A recurring problem of corruption, for many years, in Fijian rugby, but also in several other Pacific nations. “I have been representing Fiji for over ten years now and it is always the samecontinues the three-quarter center who has played for Paris and Toulon. This is not the first time (that things happen like this, Editor’s note). The guys are paid half, or not at all for weeks. We were paid the Thursday before the match against England. Obviously, that had an impact on our preparation.”
In a long statement published on its website, the Fiji Rugby Union responded to these allegations and said: “saddened but concerned by Waisea’s comments. He raised issues and made serious accusations against the team,” asking his former captain to captain “provide specific evidence to support his accusations of corruption against the federation”.
42,630 euros per player for the World Cup
In its defense, the court states that:“After negotiations, it was agreed that each member of the Flying Fijian team (33 players) would receive a signing bonus of $30,000 and an allowance of $500 per day from July 16 to October 15, 2023 (91 days).” With bonuses, that represented $105,000 per player for the duration of the World Cup, the equivalent of 42,630 euros.
If Fiji had gone further in the competition held in France, other bonuses would have been unlocked.With government support, bonuses were offered at that time: $30,000 for a quarter-final win, $40,000 for a semi-final win and $50,000 for a final win. The bonuses were therefore based on the team’s achievements,” continues the Fiji Rugby Union.
