'Saru out to decredit Spears'
10/04/2006 21:33 - (SA)

Liam Del Carme, Beeld
Johannesburg - The Southern Spears rugby franchise have described SA Rugby's misgivings about their financial affairs and alleged sponsorship deals of millions of rand as attempts to discredit them.
The Spears CEO, Tony McKeever, has reacted angrily to a statement by SA Rugby about, among others, the Spears financial affairs.
McKeever said: "It's obvious that they are trying to discredit both me and the Spears before the board meeting on April 18. The statement was made by SA Rugby's deputy CEO, Mveleli Ncula <http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Rugby/> and SA Rugby's media official, Vusi Kama and they did not make sure of their facts."
"The Ncula/Kama statement is a gross misrepresentation of the facts and total distortion of the truth, as presented by the Spears to SA Rugby and is tantamount to a brazen and clumsy sabotage attempt, to discredit the Southern Spears in advance of the 18th April 2006 SA Rugby Board meeting."
Ncula accused the Spears of not showing enough documentation to proof that they have big sponsors lined up. He also accused the Spears of not making financial documents available showing how the R4.6m SA Rugby has given the franchise was spent.
Ncula was reacting to media reports that SA Rugby was responsible for Spears players and officials not being paid at the end of last month.
Ncula said the Spears could not supply SA Rugby's fact-finding team with any financial statements last month.
The Spears said: "This is an inflammatory and incorrect statement.
"Neither the president, nor the chairperson or SA Rugby's CEO knew of this statement or anything about Ncula's visit to Port Elizabeth in what is seen in general as an atrocious attempt to put us in a bad light as well as sabotage us."
McKeever said SA Rugby never gave the Spears any money directly, but that payments were made on behalf of the Spears.
"SA Rugby's CEO, Johan Prinsloo and the manager of rules and regulations, Christo Ferreira, were both given copies of sponsorship agreements as well as a complete report of our financial prospects until December 2006 on Wednesday, April 5 this year," said McKeever.
SA Rugby is presently investigating the viability of the Spears being ready to take part in next year's Super 14 series before an announcement is made on April 18.