Shizuoka (Japan) (AFP)
The Springbok said Thursday it opened an internal procedure for the second line Eben Etzebeth, aimed in South Africa by prosecution for racist insults and aggression before his departure for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
"Following our discussions with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), we have initiated an internal procedure on the subject, the details of which relate to the working relationship between SA Rugby (Federation) and the player ", SA Rugby said in a statement.
"We have responded to all requests so far and will continue to do so," said the South African national team.
The SAHRC announced Wednesday the launch of a lawsuit against Eben Etzebeth, one of the Springboks (81 caps), ranked among the favorites of the World Cup.
The SAHRC said it would formally file a complaint Friday in a court specializing in discrimination cases.
Eben Etzebeth, 27, is accused by several witnesses of insulting a homeless person and pointing a gun at him at the end of August in a private incident.
The player categorically denied the facts before the SAHRC, who heard it just before he left for Japan.
The affair has caused a stir in South Africa, where racism is still a sensitive topic a quarter of a century after the fall of the apartheid regime.
Etzebeth are among the star players to face Italy on Friday in Shizuoka, in a decisive match for the qualification for the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
© 2019 AFP