South Africa remove David Teeger as U-19 captain days before World Cup over pro-Israel comments

South Africa on Friday removed David Teeger as their U-19 cricket captain for the pro-Israel comments that he had made last year. Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) decision comes at a time when the ‘Rainbow Nation’ has filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Teegar’s removal as captain also comes a week before the U-19 World Cup gets underway in South Africa. CSA cited concerns over the Teeger’s safety, anticipating protests at the World Cup venues that could possibly turn violent, as a reason behind their decision.

“As is the case with all such events, CSA has been receiving regular security and risk updates regarding the World Cup. 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 captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors,” read a statement from CSA.

Cricket South Africa felt that their decision was in the best interest of everyone involved, including the player in question.

“CSA has a primary duty to safeguard the interests and safety of all those involved in the World Cup and must accordingly respect the expert advice of those responsible for the safety of participants and spectators.

“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.”

Hosts South Africa, who had won the tournament in 2014 under Aiden Markram’s captaincy, begin their campaign against West Indies in Potchefstroom in 19 January.

The tournament itself had to be shifted to South Africa from Sri Lanka after the latter was suspended by the ICC for political interference.