Lebanon players back down from boycott but fight is far from over

Lebanon rugby league players have confirmed they won’t boycott the Test match against Fiji, but they are considering a protest in another manner come game day.

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Lebanon players will continue their fight against their national federation but have vowed to play in Saturday’s Test against Fiji after crisis talks avoided a possible strike on Wednesday afternoon.

The Lebanon camp was brought into turmoil when the Lebanon Federation sent a scathing email to players on Tuesday night warning them they faced persecution if they continued with plans to path-up the Federation logo on Saturday.

The heavy-handed tactic prompted players led by veteran Robbie Farah to raise the possibility of striking from this week’s match. Players silently boycotted the corresponding match last year.

Lebanese rugby league players Michael Lichaa, Abbas Miski, Josh Mansour, Mitch Moses and Adam Doueihi are fighting against their governing body. Picture: Brett Costello

Instead a dramatic meeting between high profile Lebanese players including Farah, Tim Mannah, Michael Lichaa, coach Rick Stone and Rugby League International Federation boss Nigel Wood and southern hemisphere general manager Jeremy Edwards helped ease the tension.

Long-term Cedars player turned player representative Chris Saab was also there.

The hour-long meeting at a Brighton cafe saw a resolution where the players confirmed they would take to the field.

They also indicated they would not cover up the Cedars’ logo either.

But The Daily Telegraph has learnt the players still plan to protest and could write the word “boycott” somewhere on their playing jersey. They are also considering other ways to further express their angst.

Robbie Farah has been vocal about the need for Lebanese players to take action. Picture: Getty Images

Farah told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday night the meeting “was productive”.

“The RLIF has assured us they are going to conduct an independent review of the governance practices in Lebanon,” Farah said.

“In the meantime we will discuss as a playing group the actions we want to take in continuing our stand against what we believe is right.

“We got the desired effect from potentially patching up the jersey which is what we wanted.

“We got a reaction and forced the RLIF into action. There is also an awareness now.

“All we’ve wanted to do is get change. For so long nothing has been done. We know we had to do something drastic to instigate that. Whether we patch up the logo in the game is something we will discuss. If we don’t do that we will definitely be doing something else.”

Wood said the RLIF has asked the playing group to prepare a formal document outlining their angst.

Lebanon players celebrate winning the 2017 Rugby League World Cup match between France and Lebanon at Canberra Stadium. Picture: Getty Images

“We believe the meeting was positive and productive and have subsequently asked for submissions in writing,” Wood said.

“The RLIF can and will play a role in seeking a mutually acceptable outcome, while recognising that fundamentally any dispute such as this can only be a matter for Lebanon RL and its players to actually agree and resolve.

“If we can play a role in rebuilding levels of trust in the best interests of rugby league in Lebanon then of course we will do so.”

The furore started when the Lebanese Rugby League Federation issued multi-layered threat to players declaring they faced misconduct charges and would be suspended and fined.

They also said “the Lebanese public prosecutor's office has been made aware of the incident and will launch an investigation in co-ordination with the LRLF”.

The fallout has continued from the 2017 World Cup when players grew frustrated at the Lebanese board for failing to capitalise on the team’s success in the tournament.

The players are also critical of the Lebanon domestic competition.