The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) board of trustees issued a comprehensive statement responding to allegations made by 2023 Rugby World Cup captain Waisea Nayacalevu and other team members regarding payments, bonuses, and claims of corruption. These allegations led the FRU to engage Naiveli and Co Chartered Accountants to conduct an independent review of the payments related to the 2023 World Cup.

Key findings from the investigation included:

• All entitlements under player contracts were paid in full, as per the signed fixed-term contracts for all squad members of the Flying Fijians team.
• Most pay runs were made on time or earlier than scheduled, except for pay runs one and two, which were delayed by one day. Pay runs three to seven were processed earlier than the contracted payout dates, except for five players with overseas bank accounts. The delays for these players were caused by incomplete or erroneous bank details and regulatory procedures.
• Daily allowances of $500 per day were correctly calculated by the FRU finance team, based on attendance sheets provided by the team manager.
• All sign-on fees were paid according to the contracts, except for one player who joined the squad late and received payment accordingly.
• Government bonuses were paid as per the arrangements, and all reimbursements followed the contractual entitlements.

The findings concluded that payments to all players were largely in compliance with their contracts.

FRU chairman Peter Mazey addressed the corruption accusations, challenging any player to provide evidence. He confirmed that no player has come forward with any evidence, suggesting that the claims may be unfounded.

On the subject of bonuses, Mazey recalled that Fiji’s Prime Minister had visited the team in Taveuni in July 2023 and publicly stated that a bonus would be given at the end of the World Cup. This approach followed the precedent set for Fiji’s Olympic rugby sevens teams after their medal successes. Despite this, the team had threatened to boycott the quarter-finals unless a bonus was paid before the match against England. Mazey explained that part bonuses of $5,000 were already paid on September 8 and October 13, 2023, ahead of the quarter-final match.