BIG DAY FOR FIJI RUGBY: Two shocking defeats fell on the same day!

Fiji High Court judge Justice Kamal Kumar has refused the Fiji Rugby Union’s attempt to have Digicel’s court action dismissed from the High Court. The FRU had claimed that a dispute between Digicel and the FRU over the matching last right of refusal should have been covered by the compulsory arbitration clause in Digicel’s expired sponsorship contract.

FRU board members will now have to explain in court and under oath the exact timing, legal advice received, board deliberations and minutes taken, during the sponsorship discussions and why the FRU ignored Digicel’s offer to match Vodafone’s $16.5-17m cash offer and signed with Frank’s favourite phone company anyway.

The Digicel action continues on February 25. The FRU’s High Performance Gym was officially closed down, a victim of the FRU’s decision to brush aside the International Rugby Board’s concerns about financial competence, government interference and transparency. The HPU Gym was paid for directly from the IRB’s £1m ($3,3m) annual development grant, which was suspended in the New Year

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OUT OF POWER: FRU's gym closes down