Sparks fly between Kudus and Rehoboth

FNB Kudu Rugby Club has filed an official complaint against FNB Rehoboth Rugby Club with the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU).

The vice president of the NRU, Johan Diergaardt, confirmed that both clubs had submitted complaints following a game in Rehoboth on Saturday.

“We have received complaints from both clubs as well as the match report and the matter is receiving our urgent attention,” Diergaardt said.

In the complaint (seen by this publication) addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the NRU John Heynes, the secretary of Kudu Rugby Club, Wilfred Muller, stated that multiple incidents during the match between the two clubs on Saturday in Rehoboth had brought the game of rugby into disrepute and led to acts of violence.

According to Muller, Kudu players were taunted, threatened and assaulted in what he termed “a premeditated attack” by their counterparts from Rehoboth Rugby Club, since their arrival at the field. He pointed out that a requirement by the NRU to have barriers placed around the field to ensure the protection of players was not met and this consequently gave rise to significant safety concerns for both the Kudu players, staff members as well as supporters.

Muller accuses Juandre Cloete, a registered Rehoboth Rugby Club player, of attacking the Kudus premier league team captain Cameron Langenhoven and leaving him with a severe cut under his left eye while Johan Wohler constantly intimidated and threatened the Kudu players.

He said that pleas to have Cloete removed from the stadium fell on deaf ears. “During the match, an incident occurred in which the game had to be halted midway through the first half. Cloete walked past our technical area and directed profanity towards our team, leading to a physical altercation. As the game finished, he blasted our players with beer bottles.”

The head coach of Rehoboth Rugby Club, Jood Opperman, said that there were two persons involved in the altercation. “Langenhoven instigated the fight. We did not have all the facts and a suggestion was made that both persons involved leaving the venue. This did not sit well with the visitors from the coast. I do not know of any bottles that were thrown.”

Muller also alleges that Opperman led a barrage of verbal abuse towards the Kudu players and technical team. “Complaints of player safety were directed to him, but he nonchalantly brushed them off and issued threats of physical harm to our team’s coach and captain. He also directed threatening remarks at them via social media.”

Opperman said that he had also submitted a report to the NRU and the club approached a lawyer to handle the issue. “I never assaulted anybody at the game. Cameron and the Kudu premier league team coach Shaun White were very rude towards me and I was deeply disappointed by their behavior.”