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Krige slams SA Rugby's greed
20/04/2008 22:19 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Former Springbok captain Corne Krige has slammed the South African provincial rugby presidents as being greedy in the way they have planned the upcoming British Lions tour.
Krige, writing in his Losgemaal (Ruck 'n Maul) column in Afrikaans Sunday newspaper Sondag, said that fans would ultimately lose out as provinces try and grab the cash out of the tour.
"I was floored, like other Western Province supporters when I hear that for the first time in history the Lions would not be playing a Test match at Newlands," Krige wrote.
"My shock disappeared after a few days when I realised that this is a reality in the world of professional rugby. Rugby purists won't like what I'm about to say, but in SA Rugby the four most important words are: Show me the money!"
Krige had some harsh words for Western Province president Tobie Titus, who last week said that Western Province were not prepared to "sell their soul" to host a Lions game.
"His point, as I understand it was that he doesn't want to disadvantage the season and suite ticket holders. Well, I believe any season or suite ticket holder would swop their seat for a lesser one just to be able to watch such a game. Did they ask the season ticket holders at all what they wanted?"
"In any organisation if things aren't going well, there is a culture of responsibility and officials have to accept that responsibility. In rugby it is different. As long as the Springboks play half decent rugby, the stands will be full and the cash rolls in."
But like the electricity crisis in our country, it is the normal person on the street that suffers. We are the ones who will have to sit with a 50% increase in test ticket prices. It is clear that the administrators want to make as much out of the tour as possible."
It is time that the rugby public make their voices heard.
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Rugby
