The Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Rugby Union (S.R.U), Faleomavaega Vincent Fepulea’i, has rejected the criticisms of the Union from former Manu Samoa midfielder, Aumua To’o Vaega.
In doing so, the man driving the reforms to rebuild the relationship between t h e U n ion , members of the public and stakeholders has invited Aumua to see things from the perspective of the Union instead of throwing rocks from the outside.
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“To’o unfortunately is among the category of people who don't want to understand,” Faleomavaega told the Samoa Observer yesterday.
“I would have liked him to come and try to understand the situation within our rugby Union.”
Faleomavaega made the comments in response to Aumua’s call for him and the Union – including Chairman Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi - to be transparent and accountable.
“I want justice for my people of Samoa,” Aumua said. “People who didn't hesitate to put their hands into their pockets and donate money to the Manu Samoa fund-raising.”
The former Manu Samoa midfielder, who was part of the history-making team of 1991, is demanding an independent investigation into claims of abuse that surfaced following the Rugby World Cup of 2011.
“The Samoa Rugby Union needs to be honest,” he said. “They need to be accountable and show some humility and respect – that is the fa'a Samoa way.
“I have a heart for Samoan rugby and this is why I’m speaking up. The Samoa Rugby Union needs good honest people to administer rugby for our country – not people who are in there for themselves.”
Asked for a comment, Faleomavaega said Aumua’s crusade is not helping the Union.
“It’s a very unfair assessment of our Rugby Union,” said Faleomavaega.
“He’s hurting the Union and he is making it very difficult for us in terms of potential sponsorships.
“What he is spreading is getting out there and people are thinking that the Union is corrupt. We cannot control what’s on the social media since it seems like it is them who are bringing these things up and spreading it overseas.
“There is a lot of work that’s being done to build relationships not just with our sponsorships but also the mainstream media who are our key partners.
“There are so many good things happening within our Union now in terms of reforms so we can move forward.”
Faleomavaega also made it clear that Aumua is barking up the wrong tree.
“First of all, the issues were before my time,” he said.
“So there is no mandate for me talk about the stuff before my time. The only thing I want to say about what he’s talking about is that there is a big difference within the Union now.
“What he is talking about has already been discussed by the Union, Auditors and all that.
The Auditor’s report has already been published, all the financials are within the Manu Samoa website, it includes all the recommendations for moving forward.
“With regards to what he is saying that the Union cannot move forward until things have been straightened, a lot of the stuff has already been straightened.
“In terms of money, everything is in the report (Audit) in terms of moving forward.”
Faleomavaega conceded that while there were issues in the past, there are also some fundamental truths critics like Aumua must consider.
“What’s important is that when it comes to money, it must be clarified that a lot of the work is done on a voluntary basis. The Board has a mandate to create policies and guidelines for the management to follow.
“Our goal at this stage is to try and run our Union professionally. It is To’os right to express his opinion but looking in from overseas is very different from when you are here in the Union.
“For your information, there is no money from sponsorship to operate the Union. All the money goes to financing the teams that are being taken overseas. Most of the criticisms about money are about funds from stakeholders within our government and a few companies including Bluesky and S.I.F.A.
“The common misconception among people is that when it comes to the Samoa Rugby Union that it is all about the Manu Samoa. This is not true. Our Union is not just Manu Samoa, we have Samoa A, Women’s rugby, U20s, U18s and there are many other teams being funded by the Union.”
Faleomavaega also called for patience from members of the public.
“We are working on issues from the past,” he said. “At the moment, there is an official from World Rugby who is working with us on reforms and we are looking for some people for key positions as part of these reforms but those people can’t come if we have no money.
“Our Union should’ve been professional a long time ago but we lack finances to implement a lot of the work.”
The C.E.O added that the Union has nothing to hide.
“Our accounts have been audited and published,” he said. “They have also been submitted to World Rugby as they are also stakeholders of the Union.
“They fund the salaries for the High Performance Unit and development programmes. So we’ve addressed all these issues in terms of going forward.
“There have been a lot of changes. We are working on financial reforms in dealing with revenue and expenditures.
“We are also working on reforms in relation to commercial opportunities for the Union, looking at ways where we can gain some money from the Manu Samoa brand. So we’re looking at different sources of income.
“So all in all, I don't want to talk too much about the past, I want to look to the future.”
*Ilia L. Likou contributed to this report.
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