Zimbabwe’s players settle in for a night on the streets in Tunisia (Twitter)
Zimbabwe’s players settle in for a night on the streets in Tunisia (Twitter)
The Zimbabwe rugby team forced to spend a night sleeping rough in Tunisia have been moved to alternative accommodation.
Otherwise known as the Sables, Zimbabwe’s full squad began a nightmare tour to Tunisia this week, where their pre-booked hotel was in such a squalid condition that they refused to spend the night there.
This came after the entire travelling party – visiting for a World Cup qualifier against their hosts – was held up almost six hours by Tunisian airport staff, who wanted to charge the Zimbabweans visa fees to enter the country. Not everyone could afford it, so their passports were temporarily seized.
Where will the Zimbabwe rugby team stay in Tunisia?
After an exhausting trip and one night slumming it on the streets, the Sables finally caught a break. When they got wind of the awful situation their opponents had encountered, the Tunisia Rugby Association contacted Zimbabwe’s management, took them to a different hotel and an offer to house them there was accepted.
Rugby Africa were quick to clarify the situation, issuing a statement earlier on Tuesday afternoon. Khaled Babbou, an executive member of the organisation, offered his most sincere apologies to the team and vowed to help them prepare for Saturday’s crunch match against Tunisia.
“I apologise on behalf of Tunisia Rugby Union, we pride ourselves in hosting Rugby Africa tournaments every year and make every effort to meet the best international standards in terms of accommodation and other infrastructure.”
“Something went wrong for which I am sorry, but this was corrected this morning in consultation with the Sables management team.”
“I can assure you that there was absolutely no intention to destabilise our opponents and we will make every possible effort to ensure they have a good preparation ahead of Saturday’s match.”
Babbou himself is travelling to Beja, Tunisia to inspect the conditions of the hotel. The Sables will look to bounce back from this horror show – and a defeat to Kenya in their last World Cup qualifier – during Saturday’s game.
