David Teeger will not captain SA U19 at the U19 World Cup in South Africa.
On Friday, CSA said Teeger had been “relieved” of the role for “safety” reasons.
The reason for this stems from comments he made after receiving the Rising Star of the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards in November.
“Yes, I’ve been [given] this award, and yes, I’m now the Rising Star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel,” he said.
Israel is currently fighting a war against Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, due to the terrorist attack on 7 October.
Following a complaint laid by the Palestine Solidarity Alliance, CSA appointed an independent inquiry, which found that Teeger had not breached the CSA or Lions codes of conducts by making pro-Israel comments.
However, while CSA went on to name Teeger as captain of the SA U19 World Cup squad, he has now had to relinquish the role.
“CSA has been receiving regular security and risk updates regarding the U19 World Cup,” read a statement on Friday. “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 U19 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.
“In all the circumstances, CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament. This is in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself.
“David will remain an important and active member of the squad and we wish him and the team every success in the tournament. The newly appointed captain will be announced in due course.”
SA U19 are in Group B for the World Cup, alongside England, Scotland and the West Indies, who they begin their campaign against at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on 19 January.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
