Johannesburg rugby club embroiled in alleged racial attack

The Wanderers Rugby Club has made allegations of racism against the Roodepoort Rugby Club‚ claiming players from the latter physically attacked their players during a match last week.

According to a statement released by the Wanderers club‚ their players reported to their coach that the other club’s players were hurling racial insults at them.

“On the field‚ the word Ka**r was being used by the Roodepoort players directed at Wanderers’ black players‚” the club said.

The club has also alleged that the abuse against the Wanderers’ club players came from Roodepoort Rugby Club’s supporters who referred to them as “development players”.

The verbal abuse and physical attack on the black players continued after the match‚ the Wanderers club said.

“While the players were shaking hands after the match‚ [a player] from Roodepoort instigated the physical attack by slapping a black Wanderers player then calling another Ka**r‚” the statement reads.

“This was followed by Roodepoort players‚ coaches and parents running onto the field to push and punch Wanderers player. This is a Constitutional rights issue and we hope that as affiliates of the Golden Lions Rugby Union‚ the governing body will handle this matter with the appropriate level of urgency and firmness.”

Dennis Roberts responded to the allegations on Facebook: “I’ve seen Roodepoort’s incident report and it reads very different to this one. We are dealing with it through the formal channels laid out at the Union for these sorts of things and think publishing a statement of this nature before anybody has been able to present their arguments is malicious and wrong.”

See the full statement below: