THE SAMOAN RUGBY Union (SRU) has been declared bankrupt, with upcoming Test matches with Scotland and England plunged into some doubt.
Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielagoa, who is both the Prime Minister of the country and chairman of the SRU, has asked the public to donate money in their time of need.
“We are bankrupt,” he told the Samoa Observer.
“In other words we are insolvent. It means the Union cannot continue to pay off our debts with the banks. We also need money to pay the players so they can continue to play.”
Reportedly, the SRU can’t afford to pay the players’ insurance, which casts some doubt over the Murrayfield clash, which is fixed for this Saturday, 11 November. England are also poised to host Samoa at Twickenham on 25 November.
The news puts pressure on other nations to share revenues from games with the Samoans. As it stands, host countries are under no obligation to split gate receipts.
Today the Rugby Football Union (RFU) told Sky Sports that they will compensate Samoa, similar to what they did for Fiji when they toured last year.
World Rugby have also been urged to intervene and help with their state of turmoil.
The Union is holding a fundraising radiothon today in an attempt to raise much-needed funds.
Speaking at the event, Malielagoa added:
“This is a Union which has faced many challenges around the board table and on the field.
“We are a Union with endless financial tension that is continuously in the public arena, and haunted by its past failures and at times we have copped unfair and scathing criticism.”
- Additional reporting by OmniSport
The42 Podcasts / SoundCloud
Subscribe to The42 podcasts here: