WHY FOLAU SHOULD BE CLEARED TO PLAY FOR TONGA
Sports fans still want to see controversial star on the football field
I CAN’T be the only one keen to see Israel Folau light up a rugby league field in a Tonga jersey. In fact, I know I’m not. According to a News Corp reader’s pool, a whopping 85 per cent of respondents voted in favour of Folau’s return to rugby league with the Tongan side, the Mate Ma’a.
The poll had attracted more than 4500 votes as of noon yesterday.
It comes as Rugby League International Federation officials are seeking to block the dual international’s comeback following his fallout with Rugby Australia and eventual sacking after posting homophobic comments on social media earlier this year.
While it wasn’t handled under the most amicable circumstances, Rugby Australia were well within their rights to terminate the dual international’s contract.
He damaged their stated aims of inclusivity and continued to do so despite receiving multiple warnings.
However, there is no reasonable basis for the NRL and ARLC to block him from playing for another country in upcoming international Test and Oceania Cup fixtures.
And, dare I say it, the international game needs it.
If the NRL and Australian Rugby League Commission don’t want to register Folau in Australia, that’s fine, and they should do whatever is necessary to stop it from happening, but for them to use their position at the RLIF to stop another country from selecting him is a bit of an overstep.
If he had breached an NRL playing contract then it might be a different story, but otherwise, leave it up to Tonga to decide if he plays.
Whatever happens, the TNRL, NRL, ARLC and RLIF need to be careful with how the Folau situation plays out, as there hasn’t been anything like it before and the way they react will set the precedent.
But we’re on some pretty shaky ground if Folau is banned from playing rugby league for a country of which he is a citizen because of something he did – which wasn’t a crime – while playing another sport for another country.
Have they filtered through the social media feeds of every other registered player for every other country?
The RLIF’s eight board members, which includes NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and ARLC chair Peter Beattie, will determine Folau’s fate this afternoon.