CSA relieve David Teeger of U19 captaincy

Jan. 12 (cricbuzz) - David Teeger will no longer captain South Africa at the U19 World Cup. The 19-year-old has been relieved of his captaincy, the Cricket South Africa informed, in view of protests anticipated at the World Cup around the ongoing war in Gaza.

Teeger was appointed the captain in December 2023 after an independent investigation cleared him of breaching CSA's and Gauteng's codes of conduct for making a statement in support of Israel after being presented with the Rising Star Award at the Jewish Achiever Awards function.

"But more importantly, yes, I've been awarded this award, and yes, I am now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel..." Teeger had said on October 22 in Johannesburg. "So I'd like to dedicate this award to the South African family that married off one son whilst the other is still missing. And I'd like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and to every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora."

Three weeks later, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA) lodged a complaint with CSA, terming Teeger's words "a provocative and inflammatory political statement".

South Africa's global pushback against Israel perhaps made Teeger's position untenable. At the moment, the UN's International Court of Justice is hearing a case brought by South Africa, where they have accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

"We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament," CSA said in a statement. "We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA Under-19 (SA U19) captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors.

"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.

"David will remain an important and active member of the squad and we wish him and the team every success in the tournament. The newly appointed captain will be announced in due course."