Lebanon stars to boycott World Cup 9s over breakdown with board
First Tonga, now Lebanon. The World Cup 9s have been rocked by another uproar with the Cedars’ NRL stars boycotting the tournament over a rift with their board.
NRL
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Fed-up high-profile Lebanon players will boycott the upcoming World Cup 9s as their rift with the Lebanon board becomes irreconcilable.
Winger Josh Mansour confirmed players such as Tim Mannah, Michael Lichaa, Abbas Miski and Adam Doueihi would not take part in the tournament at Bankwest Stadium on October 18 and 19.
The move comes after the NRL sensationally withdrew its invitation to Tonga for the two-day tournament because players were involved in a stand-off with their national board.
If Lebanon does field a side it would be largely made up of domestic players who would be easy beats in their pool against England, France and Wales.
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Mansour said the Lebanese players could not represent the current board.
“We apologise to the fans and the Lebanese community,” Mansour said. “We need to take this action for the future of Lebanon. It might be seen as selfish but we aren’t doing it for ourselves.
“We don’t want more money or anything like that. We want to get Lebanon rugby league in good shape.
“Unfortunately, it’s not like that at all. We don’t feel like we can play under a federation that lacks trust or confidence.
“The whole situation is ridiculous. As a player you just want to play. This was a big moment for me to represent my heritage in front of my family and friends. I’ve been looking forward to this.
“I feel like the fans are the biggest losers. I hope everyone understands where we are coming from.”
The outrage between the Lebanon players and their board has been bubbling away for months. Players protested before a mid-season Test against Fiji when they were threatened with potential jail time and bans.
Mansour and 17 other players, including Robbie Farah and Mitchell Moses, were then suspended for three games and fined $3000 for speaking out against the Lebanon federation.
Mansour said players rejected a peace offering by the Lebanon board which would have resulted in them being banned for one match and fined $US1.
A match involving Lebanon and Fiji last Saturday — in which no NRL players were ever going to play — would have counted for the ban.
Players have been embroiled in a stoush with their federation since the completion of their successful 2017 World Cup campaign.
While the NRL and Rugby League International Federation were quick to step in to assist the Tongan players in their stand-off, the investigation into goings on in Lebanon have taken a bit more time, adding to the players’ gripes.
The RLIF promised — and is continuing — to investigate the players’ complaints.
“What we did before the Fiji game raised awareness and got everyone thinking,” Mansour said.
“Our situation is similar to that of the Tongan players. We want change.”