INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
Incoming Sharks CEO John Smit
Picture: Jacques Naude
Durban – Incoming Sharks chief executive John Smit kept relatively mum on his plans for the rugby franchise once he officially took office on July 1, with the former Bok captain saying the sacking of John Plumtree was the only major change for now.
Addressing his first official press conference as administrative head of his former team, he said he was excited at the prospect of his new role but it was “difficult” to comment on pressing issues like the Brett Williams incident, and a possible move to the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
British national Williams was beaten to death on March 28 after a Super Rugby match between the Sharks and the Melbourne Rebels.
Smit said he would be dealing with this issue, including the subsequent negative media attention, and the crackdown on liquor consumption around the stadium.
“All I can promise is that come July, I will do my level best to make sure this is the best place in the world to come watch a game (of rugby).”
Included in his plan to revamp the Sharks’ image was dealing with reports that hospitality providers were operating within the Kings Park suites without adequate liquor licences.
Another lingering issue that Sharks management had to contend with was the possibility of leaving Kings Park for the more modern Moses Mabhida Stadium across the road – something Smit is well aware of and plans to deal with as part of his strategic “process”.
“That is also another issue that I will put on my desk come July 1. I think at the moment, Kings Park is our home. We have just signed an incredible sponsor in Growthpoint, which is a five-year deal. The fact that we do have two world-class stadiums within 500m of each other is always going to be an issue until one of them disappears, which is highly unlikely,” he said.
The outgoing chief executive, Brian van Zyl, welcomed Smit to the “hot seat”, and added his take on the Williams murder and the possible move to Moses Mabhida.
The Sharks came under heavy criticism during his tenure with regards to the way the death of the former Royal Marine was handled, notably their relative silence about the incident. “I’m not sure (we handled it the right way),” said Van Zyl. “At the time, it was very difficult. In our meetings with the police, they requested we refrain from making any statements and alerting the media. Our first statement came out on the Tuesday,” he said. The killing took place on the Saturday.
“It would have been very difficult to have done anything else, in my opinion,” he said.
Besides the lack of information emanating from the Sharks, there was public outcry when the alleged attackers were not arrested immediately after they were identified from CCTV footage.
On the issue of moving to Moses Mabhida, Van Zyl said the last time the city had approached the Sharks about a possible relocation was in 2010.
“Since that time, there has been nothing in terms of discussions,” he said.
Police spokesman Vincent Mdunge confirmed it was agreed that the Sharks would not issue a public statement until the suspects involved in Williams’s alleged murder “were secure”.
kevin.lancaster@inl.co.za
The Mercury
