Sanzaar CEO Andy Marinos says they had to ‘abide by government and health authority instructions on the issue of Covid-19 containment’ following the suspension of Vodacom Super Rugby on Saturday.
In an unprecedented move, it was confirmed that Super Rugby will be suspended for the foreseeable future once round six of competition is concluded.
BREAKING NEWS: Super Rugby suspended
‘The safety and welfare of the public, our players and other stakeholders is paramount and as previously stated we were always going to abide by government and health authority instructions on the issue of Covid-19 containment,’ Marinos said.
‘We are extremely disappointed for the players, our fans, broadcasters and partners but given the complexity of our competition structure, and the multiple geographies that we cover, we have no other option but to align with such directives.
‘We also believe it is time for all those players currently overseas to return home and to be with their families.
‘Our priority is, therefore, to ensure our players are within their home territories from the end of this weekend. Sanzaar will also remain engaged with its stakeholders and will continue to explore avenues to see if we can keep the rugby product alive within our core markets, with the possibility to be in a position to resume the tournament if at all possible in future weeks.’