South Africa Strips Jewish Cricket Player of Captaincy After Pro-Israel Comments
A Jewish cricketer will no longer be the captain of South Africa’s team at the Under-19 Men’s World Cup this month amid fears for his safety and the well-being of others following his comments in support of Israel in its war against Hamas.
Cricket South Africa (CSA), the governing body of the sport in the country, said in a statement that it is expecting protests relating to the war in Gaza at venues when the tournament gets underway next week. The organization said it has been advised that the demonstrations are likely to focus on captain David Teeger and “there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of [protesters].”
“CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament,” the organization said, stressing it had a duty to safeguard everyone involved with the World Cup. “This is in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself.”