CSA bumbling turns Teeger affair into shameful mess

Cricket SA’s (CSA’s) board of directors contains a full house of expertise covering topics ranging from law to finance, marketing, broadcasting and cricket, but has managed what is akin to a “soft dismissal” in dealing with the David Teeger affair.

What a mess it is.

And not the first time either for an organisation that simply cannot free itself of controversy and whose management and communication are so horrendous that had it been a player, CSA would have been dropped and sent back to the “B” team to find itself again.

The organisation does find itself in a tricky position regarding Teeger.

When the 19-year-old made his remarks in support of the Israeli Defence Force on receiving the “Rising Star Award” at the Jewish Achiever Awards in October 2023, he wasn’t captain of the under-19 team or in a World Cup squad because one hadn’t been named yet.

That’s not how communication management works, certainly not in the 21st century, and definitely not for an organisation with CSA’s recent history.

That a board with the kind of expertise CSA has, didn’t foresee trouble ahead shows poor judgment.

It would have received criticism anyway, but making the decision to remove Teeger as captain and basing that decision on care for a young player and a team that was suddenly under more scrutiny was a move that could have assuaged much of the tension that has arisen since.

There are certainly strong concerns within CSA about security for SA matches at the under-19 World Cup.

A senior official said: “Imagine if because of protests someone gets hurt or worse because a rubber bullet is fired. We don’t want that happening at a cricket match.”

Unnecessary concerns

The security assessments handed to CSA apparently make no direct reference to Teeger or any other player’s safety, but it does concern what may happen with protests planned for Friday’s opening match between SA and the West Indies in Potchefstroom.

The Palestine Solidarity Alliance has applied for a permit to protest, though its involvement in other protests haven’t led to violence, which would make concerns seem unnecessary.

Yet, if there were security concerns, CSA needs to be seen to be acting responsibly.

Of course the broader context cannot be ignored and, specifically, government’s decision to launch a case before the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide.

SA made its case in The Hague on Thursday. On Friday, CSA stripped Teeger of the captaincy. Again CSA and its leadership refused to communicate publicly beyond its statement about its decision.

CSA is walking a fine line, and finding that balancing on it is nearly impossible. It has been accused, in mainstream media and on social media, of infringing on Teeger’s right to free expression.

One senior official said the organisation accepted it would upset everyone with whatever decision it made regarding Teeger, and it “is a storm they would have to ride out over the coming weeks”.

That may be so, but CSA broadly remains an organisation the public cannot trust. It is trying to rebuild bridges after its own management drama, which led to forensic audits and government intervention less than five years ago and ultimately to the new administrative structure.

CSA has not shaken off the widely held belief that it is inept, and the recent poor management of the Teeger episode adds to other matters it has bungled since the new board structure, with its majority independent directors, was confirmed in 2021.

From the Black Lives Matter kneeling issue that caused Quinton de Kock to withdraw hours before a World Cup match and the lack of Test cricket, to the continued delay in appointing a head coach for the women’s team, which is understood to be mired in politics, CSA simply cannot come up with a clear strategy that outlines a path forward.

Trust is thus lacking with the public and potential sponsors. These are weighty world issues confronting CSA, but managing them was the kind of thing a new, more independent board, with a range of expertise, was expected to do. Instead, CSA finds itself trying to put out fires everywhere while simultaneously creating new ones.