Flack catcher: David Teeger of South Africa playing during the Under 19 Tri-Series match against India on 2 January in Johannesburg. Security has been beefed up for the U19 World Cup opening game between South Africa and West Indies in Potchefstroom. Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
What a situation Cricket South Africa (CSA) finds itself in. South Africa is hosting the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup. But South Africa’s captain has recently been stripped of his duties.
David Teeger has had to relinquish his role as leader of the side and Juan James has been named as his successor.
According to a statement from the CSA: “We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament. We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA Under 19 captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors.
“CSA has a primary duty to safeguard the interests and safety of all those involved in the World Cup and must accordingly respect the expert advice of those responsible for the safety of participants and spectators … CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament.”
The statement adds that the decision is in the best interests of the players and Teeger.
Teeger came under fire after he dedicated his Rising Star award at the Absa Jewish Achievers awards in October “to the state of Israel and every single soldier” who were the “true rising stars” in Israel’s war on Hamas, earning the anger of groups such as the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance.
In November, Teeger faced an independent inquiry, appointed by the CSA, to assess whether he had transgressed cricket’s code of conduct. He was cleared for his comments and announced as captain in December.
Here is where CSA struggled like a hapless tailender facing James Anderson who has just been given the new ball. He was stripped of his captaincy in January and the reasoning for stripping him of captaincy — it allegedly poses a security risk — comes across as disingenuous. The call was made when South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this month to prove genocide or intent of genocide.
As a country, we have the ability to deal with security risks and protests. We successfully hosted the Football World Cup and more recently dealt with protests over Israel’s attack on Gaza during the South Africa vs India series.
Teeger will still be a member of the squad. Does this “threat” go away now that he is not captain?
The decision by the CSA has the veneer of a pro-Palestine stance without actually saying so. Possibly the intent to remove him as captain and keep him out of the public eye achieved the polar opposite.
The CSA’s non-committal ideology is opening itself to criticism from security analysts and experts, as well as the anti-Semitism lobby.
The matter has reached international journalists such as Piers Morgan, the United Kingdom’s most followed reporter on Twitter, who tweeted the following: “WTF!? Have they sacked him because he’s Jewish? This is shameful moral cowardice by Cricket South Africa.”
Piers gets it wrong. Teeger was not axed because he is Jewish. Whether the CSA admits it or not, he was axed for his support of a defence force that has killed Palestinian civilians, among them babies. It is possible to be critical of Israel and still be Jewish, in the same way that one can be critical of Hamas and a supporter of Palestine.
Morgan’s tweets reached Anwar El Ghazi, a footballer who lost his place in the German club Mainz after he posted a message that was deemed to be pro-Palestinian. The two exchanged views, with Morgan coming away from it looking clueless and biased.
But all that notwithstanding, the Teeger situation is a mess that has further enhanced the cricketing body’s reputation for indecisive action.
We know that he didn’t lose his captaincy because of his Jewish faith. But the CSA’s poor handling of the situation has left the door open for such accusations to fly through. What should have been a nuanced conversation about how a young leader should conduct himself has degenerated.
Some have called it a blight on freedom of speech — Teeger should be free to support whoever he wants. Again, this is a complex question betrayed by the CSA’s simplistic resolution. He is a leader of a national team, he is in the public eye and a beacon for many. South Africans have always asked our national teams to reflect the dreams of the Rainbow Nation. It is understandable that many don’t want a captain that actively supports a country we have taken to The Hague; a government that has killed at least 24 000 people, almost 10 000 of those children, in the three months of their invasion.
We’re also left questioning whether it was political pressure that led to this decision on Teeger.
But he is still young; he will surely have a blossoming career. I’m sure we all said silly things when we were about 18 years old. Let’s hope he learns from it.
Although the CSA could have handled the situation in a better way, I am left thinking about what Sean Muller, an academic and extramural public servant, had to say on the topic where he questioned the following: “I may agree re violence but it’s too easy to only consider that part. I’m more interested in whether such a person is fit to hold a leadership position. Especially one representing a nation of diverse peoples governed by a Constitution that emphasises fundamental human rights.”
The CSA should have made a decision and stuck by it, whether it was to axe Teeger as captain for his views or to keep him on and call it freedom of speech. Cricket South Africa’s statement and decision leaves it vulnerable to hits, almost like going out to bat against prime Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar without pads, gloves and a helmet. There will be hits.