South Africa has suspended David Teeger, the Jewish captain of the country’s under-19 cricket team, for the duration of the World Cup because of remarks he made last year supporting Israel against the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
South Africa’s U-19 Men’s Cricket Team Captain, David Teeger has been stripped of his position over concerns for his safety following his support for Israel in the Gaza crisis. pic.twitter.com/TGN03soucY
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) January 12, 2024
Though Teeger had been investigated for his remarks, and cleared of all wrongdoing, South Africa’s cricket authorities decided to suspend him rather than face the threat of protests, and violence, for the duration of the under-19 World Cup competition being held in South Africa.
Last year, the South African Jewish Report noted, Teeger had been cleared after facing accusations by anti-Israel activists:
When Teeger, an 18-year-old matric pupil and head boy of King Edward VII school, dedicated his Rising Star Award to the young soldiers in Israel in his impromptu acceptance speech at the Absa Jewish Achievers Awards on 22 October to rapturous applause, he had no idea of the career-threatening backlash that would follow. After Teeger’s acceptance speech was publicised, the CSA and the Lions, where he had also been selected as part of the Under-19 team, received multiple complaints amid the unrelenting media storm.
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The Palestine Solidarity Alliance was also given permission to make submissions to the inquiry. An excerpt of its letter of complaint reads, “His [Teeger’s] unambiguous blind support for war demonstrates an indifference to the suffering of innocent civilians of Gaza who have lost their homes, livelihood, family members, and lives as a direct result of the actions of those soldiers that he admires.”
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In his replying affidavit, Teeger also emphasised that he didn’t express any support for genocide or condonation of hatred based on race, ethnicity, or religion. Acknowledging the strongly held views on both sides of the conflict, he said, “Disagreeing in a respectful manner on a contested and emotionally charged matter is a fundamental pillar of our democracy and Constitution. I respect the right of others to disagree with my view on Israel.”
On Friday, Cricket South Africa announced in a statement that Teeger had been removed as captain, despite no wrongdoing:
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 Under-19 (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.
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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.
Teeger is still listed on the roster of players.
Cricket South Africa did not explain how its decision, which would effectively ban almost all Jews from leading the team, complies with South African law, and the South African Constitution, which bans discrimination by the state or other bodies “on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.”
South Africa was banned from most international sports during the apartheid era for discriminating against black participants.
Cricket has been notoriously politicized in recent years, with one star South African player withdrawing from the national team in 2021 rather than be forced to kneel for the national anthem in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book is How Not to Be a Sh!thole Country: Lessons from South Africa. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.