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MICHAEL FIELD
Last updated 11:48, December 4 2014
Fiji has plunged into crisis after discovering that military rule and arbitrary decrees do not cut any ice with world rugby bosses.
In a move that has shocked the newly democratic nation, World Rugby (the renamed International Rugby Board) has pulled the plug on Fiji seeing any of the television coverage of the Dubai 7s tournament starting tomorrow.
Fiji leads the standings in this year's interminable World Series and is passionate about the game in a way no other country is.
And that's how it got into trouble.
In May, while still leading a military dictatorship, strongman Voreqe Bainimarama took exception to privately owned Fiji TV taking the sole broadcast rights to the sevens.
He imposed the "Television (Cross-Carriage of Designated Events) Decree" requiring the matches to be shared across television channels, public and private.
World Rugby has caught up with the decree and yesterday Fiji received a letter from World Rugby's head of legal and legislative affairs, Susan Ahern, who said they were pulling the plug.
There had been no discussion over the decree.
"At the outset we wish to make clear that World Rugby is respectful at all times of applicable national laws," Ahern wrote.
"However, it has been our experience in the past that the countries which have brought in similar legislation or directives to that of Fiji have engaged in prior consultation process involving World Rugby."
She said Fiji law stopped at its border and added, pointedly, rugby's governance is outside Fiji.
Bainimarama, who went on to win democracy restoring elections, is currently on the Golan Heights on the Syrian-Israel border, visiting Fijian peacekeepers.
Social media is recording the rage over not having the rugby with a number pointing out that Bainimarama's government is putting F$12 million (NZ$8 million) to pay for a golf tournament whose only major star is retired Fiji professional Vijay Singh.
The attorney general who drafted the decree, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, is attending crisis meetings in Suva, Fiji Broadcasting (FBC) (http://www.fbc.com.fj/ ) reports.
His brother Riyaz runs FBC which has been the decree's major beneficiary.
"It is hoped that the World Rugby management understand that this law is put in place to perpetuate rugby as a major sporting event in Fiji," the attorney general said.
He said there were areas of Fiji that did not get the Fiji TV signal.
"This is the message that we are sending to World Rugby; that it does not in any way undermine the rights they have given to others, but it enhances it and popularizes rugby even further in Fiji."
Sayed-Khaiyum says he is briefing Bainimarama on the Golan Heights.
Ahern also said World Rugby had consulted football's governing body Fifa who now realised the Fiji decree had been imposed on this year's World Cup.
"If World Rugby cannot be sure that its contractual terms can be respected without external interference, it has no option but to consider the status of the contract with Fiji TV."
Ahern said the ultimate recipients of the funds garnered from exclusive broadcast rights are the national unions in membership with World Rugby, including the Fiji Rugby Union.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/i...verage-in-Fiji