Photo: Photosport
The Flying Fijians tour report for the July Test series confirms serious financial issues within the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU), which led to some of the team's luggage being off-loaded and the tour manager left behind in England.
RNZ Pacific has obtained a copy of the tour report authored by the team manager, Eleina McDonald.
McDonald, who resigned after the tour, highlights in the 23-page report a chronic weakness in the FRU's operations practices.
She notes in that the FRU credit card given to her did not have enough funds for the first part of the tour.
This resulted in some of the team's luggage being off-loaded in England, where McDonald was also forced to stay behind for two days while the team left for Georgia.
She states that the FRU management needs to get its act together to ensure that future national team tours are better organised, so the players are not affected.
The FRU has been under a lot of criticism from players recently, due to claims of late payment of allowances, both at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the July Tour of England, Georgia and San Diego.
While the FRU said, following an independent audit conducted by by chartered accountants Naiveli and Company, that all payments were made, the report said players were still asking for payments even days before the All Blacks Test in San Diego.
McDonald's report said the poor planning by the FRU team led to "excessive and unbudgeted costs".
"The 2024 Fiji Water Flying Fijians June and July Tour experienced many untimely planning elements that has contributed to a domino effect on the entire trip logistics and excessive unbudgeted expenditures," the report said.
"I submit this report with the intention to highlight the challenges faced on the daily from pre-, during, and post each trip to date. A lot of the eventualities has been down to the current operational practices in which, the Fiji Rugby Union chooses to operate.
"It is quite daunting for a new staff such as myself who, although has a wide experience with logistic planning - find it difficult to complete my Team Manager roles when 70% of the back end admin work is dependent on allocated FRU staff to facilitate and manage key areas around travel and kit - if these are not carried out efficiently or communicated correctly, it directly affects a Team Manager's ability to complete tasks for team."
She wrote up until the end of the tour, the team manager did not receive any work resources, like laptops or phones, and most team management used personal items.
"We have borrowed radio comms from Fijian Drua for this first part of the tour and will need to purchase a new set," the report said.
"The team management relied alot on the Drua's good heart for support in other areas."
Fiji Rugby House Suva Photo: Alex Perrottet/RNZ
Credit card issues
The report said the team manager was given a credit card with only FJ$10,000 in it.
"We still don't have a team credit card to use while away and we do need to reduce the culture of using personal cards for the organisation because it is a financial risk and not due process," the report said.
"Sending us with FJD $10,000 with no other way to top up is just not feasible for high performance. It needs to change - we cannot accept staff to pay out of their pockets for massive transactions and get reimbursed afterward."
Because of the lack of funds in the credit card the Team Manager was not able to travel with the team from London to Istanbul due to excess baggage not unable to be paid.
The report said players and staff had to pay US$5000 in excess baggage in San Fransisco and Los Angeles from their own personal accounts.
"This dilemma resulted in players and staff paying excess baggage amounting to approximately US$5,000 paid out of player and staff accounts which I have submitted for reimbursements.
"Had players and staff not proactively covered at their own expense, we would not have been able to take all gear across to London."
McDonald was accommodated by a Fiji High Commission staff in London until she was able to travel to join the team, after the team incurred £10,000 cost.
Turkish Airlines refused to take the team and the luggage unless the excess was paid.
Turkish Airlines made attempts to offload the entire team that evening and only agreed to fly the team across after McDonald agreed to stay behind in London and clear the payment.
(file image)According to the report, players and staff had to pay US$5000 in excess baggage in San Fransisco and Los Angeles from their own personal accounts. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Late kits
The report highlighted the late ordering and arrival of team kits.
There was no warm gear to take with the team and "we have lost more money having to source items
locally because our apparel supplier I believe is late".
"This is an issue across the board for all national teams so it may mean delving into whether our internal ordering processes may be late to begin with," the report said.
Kit orders for the team to take on this tour were to arrive in Fiji in August when the tour was in July.
"No sense of urgency from anyone internally to facilitate deliverables at high level," the report stated.
"A lot of the above delayed culture does need to change, this is evident - more teamwork initiative and everyone in front office (not just some) understanding how high performance for team deliverables needs to be coordinated as a team with respective department deliverables and set timelines followed up by regular communication."
Fiji's prop Epeli Momo (L) blows a kiss as he runs past Barbarian's New Zealand full back Chay Fihaki during the International rugby union match between Barbarians and Fiji at Twickenham Stadium, south-west London, on 22 June 2024. Photo: Glyn KIRK / AFP
Player payments
The report also highlighted discussions held on match week in San Diego with players and team management calling an online meeting with the FRU chief executive Rovereto Nayacalevu and High-Performance Unit General Manager BJ Mathers.
The players demanded that all payments should be made by close of business on 16 July or there will be no team playing against the All Blacks.
"Delay understood to be at Manager Finance end around advising not to pay on certain days and most players and team management received payment on match week," the report said.
But three players - Temo Mayanavanua, Eroni Mawi and Peniaisi Dakuwaqa - had not received any payment all tour from June.
"Email correspondence show while Manager Finance had given reassurance to FRU hierarchy that all payments were done, these three were not," the report said.
"They have overseas accounts which were submitted and but no feasible explanation as to the payment delay. An issue which could have been prevented, particularly on match day. For immediacy of payment receiving, Temo and Eroni recommended providing local accounts to prevent any further internal delays while Peniasi remained with his overseas account."
'Process now put in place' - FRU
Earlier last month, FRU Board chair Peter Mazey said they had cleared issues surrounding payments during their term, from March 2023.
Mazey said at the time that all payments had been made and explained that delays were due to banking systems and local finance payment systems.
When RNZ Pacific contacted FRU for comment, the union's chief executive Rovereto Nayacalevu said they have made changes for the better.
He said they have decided that a Standard Operations Procedure and In Manager's Manual be created, that clearly demarcates responsibilities for tasks on tour between the touring management team, and linking that with the work done by FRU administration in supporting operations and national teams.
"The outcome of the changes made is reflected in the Pacific Nations Cup and the current Flying Fijians Europe tour," he told RNZ Pacific.
Nayacalevu said most of the issues the former tour manager raised were her responsibilities.
He said the issuance of a credit card for the team has only recently been made available and never was available previously.
"The team on this November tour are the first to use the FRU credit cards. Previously, all Incidental costs were done on a cash reimbursement and personal credit card top-up basis and dependant on acquittals being made on time which had its challenges," Nayacalevu said.
On visa issues, he said this is one of the recent challenges the FRU now face, especially to Europe where visa requirements are not available in Fiji and lodgements and processing of these has to be done in Singapore and other countries.
He said this is not only costly for FRU but time constraining, given the time when Coach announces his team to the tour taking place based on player availability.
"The changes and process now put in place by FRU Management is one that better supports our National Teams whilst on tour and we will continue to look at improving processes where need be," he said.