Johannesburg (AFP)
The Southern Kings, one of the two South African Pro 14 franchises, has ceased its "rugby activities" for the remainder of 2020, the South African Federation said on Tuesday, which recently took the lead. control of the team based in Port Elizabeth.
"The Southern Kings board has voluntarily withdrawn the team from any participation in national rugby competitions scheduled for 2020," SARU said in a statement.
"It may not be a popular decision but under the current circumstances, it is the right decision," said Andre Rademan, chairman of the board of directors of the franchise.
According to him, any participation in a national or international competition "would require additional loans or additional investment from shareholders to the tune of 6.5 million rand (more than 300,000 euros, editor's note), which would add to the already significant debt of the organization ".
The Southern Kings are one of the two South African franchises involved in the Pro 14, the former Celtic League which brings together selections from the Welsh, Irish, Italian, Scottish and South African provinces.
Arrested in March due to the pandemic, the Pro 14 has recently resumed in a tightened form, reduced to transnational meetings to limit border movements. And without the Southern Kings and Cheetahs, who were only allowed to resume training at the end of July.
At the end of June, SARU had taken control of the Southern Kings, facing serious financial difficulties: for the second time in five years, the body had thus saved the franchise from bankruptcy by recovering 74% of the club's shares after a default payment of its majority shareholder.
© 2020 AFP