LETTER: CSA’s removal of David Teeger as U19 captain is deplorable but not surprising

The decision by Cricket SA (CSA) to remove David Teeger, an orthodox Jew, as captain of the SA under 19 team, ostensibly “in the interest of safety”, is deplorable but not surprising. It constitutes a sad day for sport, cricket in particular, in SA. 

It is now patently clear that CSA has succumbed to pressure from, and threats by, pro-Palestinian and patently anti-Israel organisations, including the Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA) and the SA Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Coalition (BDS).

The PSA publicly and unashamedly supports Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and has refused to accept the findings of Wim Trengove SC, an eminent and highly respected advocate, despite having been instrumental in calling for the CSA enquiry into Teeger’s statements and having been granted permission to make submissions to that enquiry, which it did.

In an open letter dated January 3 and addressed to CSA, the national minister of sports and culture and the SA Sports Federation and Olympic Committee, BDS (supported by PSA and others) threatened to disrupt the forthcoming tour if Teeger was not removed as captain.

Worth noting is that the chair of the CSA board, Lawson Naidoo, has a history of supporting BDS initiatives and is also active on social media with anti-Israel posts. 

It is also not beyond the realm of assumption or suspicion that the CSA’s decision is a result of pressure from (or in fact at the direct insistence of) the SA government, which has supported Hamas and has, in effect, become Hamas’ legal arm, bringing a case of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

It is perhaps no coincidence that the decision by CSA to strip Teeger of the captaincy was made the same day the SA submission was made to the ICJ.

Regarding the issue of “the interest of safety”: 

• If CSA is so concerned about Teeger’s safety — it doesn’t seem to be too concerned about the emotional and psychological damage and trauma it has caused him — did it have any such concerns and/or take any extra measures to provide additional security for him (and his teammates for whom there also appears to be a concern) during the SA U19 tour of Bangladesh in July 2023? Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country, is one of the 28 member countries of the UN that does not recognise Israel and has also firmly supported SA's initiation of proceedings against Israel before the ICJ; 
• As Teeger is still a member of the team, has CSA, which in its statement said the protests will be “related to the war in Gaza”, been advised by its “security experts” that now that Teeger has been removed as captain there will not be any protests? PSA has publicly stated that there will still be protests and has demanded an apology from Teeger, stating that “until Teeger apologises, we’re not happy”. I venture to argue that the actions of CSA, which have attracted condemnation from people and communities worldwide, including from outside of the Jewish community, have increased, rather than decreased, the prospect of any potential conflict; 
• Pro-Palestinian protests, most of which abound with anti-Israel and anti-Jewish banners, rhetoric and hate speech, have taken place without any violence in SA daily for over three months, including at the recent U19 tri-series involving SA (captained by Teeger), India and Afghanistan. Suddenly now there is concern that there is “a risk of conflict or even violence including between rival groups of protesters”. As in the past three months, any protests are likely to be “uniflicts” (to borrow a similar term used by Malcolm Shaw KC in arguing Israel’s case at the ICJ) involving one side, rather than conflicts between rival groups; 
• In any event, this is not the first sporting event in the world to be threatened by disruption or which may pose a security risk — surely the correct way to deal with it is not to bow to pressure and threats by removing the Jewish captain of the host team but rather to beef up security and ensure the safety of all involved? (Perhaps CSA should have made application to the SA government to allocate a small percentage of the funds spent in bringing the case of genocide against Israel at the ICJ to enable it to do so). 

It is ironic that CSA was granted the right (and by extension the obligation) to host the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup because of Sri Lanka being suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to government interference. In taking the discriminatory decision it has taken, it would not surprise me if the ICC, on its own or at the request of interested parties, initiates an investigation into the real motives behind the decision and whether CSA should be sanctioned (or even suspended) as a consequence.

Mandy Yachad

Former Gauteng (Transvaal) and SA cricketer, and former member of the predecessor of the Gauteng Cricket Board

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