The chairperson of the Boland rugby team being investigated after the death of a rugby opponent says racism sparked the incident, Independent Online reported on Tuesday.
Delicious Rugby Club chairperson Bennie Leendertz claimed racial taunts caused the outbreak of on-field violence that eventually led to the death of 24-year-old flyhalf Riaan Loots.
Loots, of the Rawsonville Rugby Club, was declared brain dead at Worcester Medi-Clinic on Saturday. He was allegedly assaulted and kicked during a game against Delicious Rugby Club on Friday night.
On Monday, Delicious Rugby Club was suspended with immediate effect from participating in Boland rugby and an advocate was appointed to investigate the incident.
Police spokesperson Captain Randal Stoffels said the police probe into the matter had been completed and the docket was sent to the state prosecutor.
A decision would be made ”by Thursday or Friday” as to whether anyone would be charged.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Rawsonville team, from Ceres, DP Spangenberg, said Loots had been ”punched in the face and, as he fell down, another player kicked him in the head”.
Leendertz said his players were provoked — and that both sides were to blame for the fight.
”There was fighting from the start of the third team’s game,” he said. ”Before the first-team match we spoke to the players to behave themselves on the field. They mustn’t … be hooligans, because rugby’s a gentleman’s game.”
He had been ”very upset about the racism.”
He alleged that as the players took to the field, a Rawsonville player had told a Delicious player: ”Luister hier, hotnotjie. Ek gat vir jou donner [Listen, Hotnot. I’m going to beat you up].”
Leendertz added that the referee was also to blame.
”Decisions he made were not consistent. For the whole game he favoured Rawsonville players.”
Rawsonville won the game 23-6.
”It made my players feel very bad,” Leendertz said.
The free-for-all broke out with just minutes of the game remaining. Loots was left with bleeding on the brain.
Leendertz said: ”After the player was injured, I and two other members of the executive went on to the field to look at the grade of the injury. The same [Rawsonville] player told us we must ‘fuck off’ from the field.”
He said he had been ”very upset about the racism, but I just turned around and walked off the field”.
On the suspension of his club, he said: ”It’s very unfair. As far as I’m concerned Rawsonville’s team must also be suspended. They were also fighting. We have taken some pictures of our players’ injuries [sustained] on the field.” — Sapa