Lakapi Samoa CEO warns World Rugby sanctions could end Manu Samoa

The future of Samoa's national rugby team, Manu Samoa, hangs in the balance, with Lakapi Samoa CEO Seumanu Douglas Ngau Chun warning that government non-compliance with a World Rugby review could lead to sanctions and the team's demise.

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If we get to that point, then there will be no point [in] rugby in Samoa because once we get sanctioned, then there will be no more Manu Samoa, no funding, and that [would be] a great loss to us.

Seumanu stated that "no more Manu Samoa" would exist if sanctions were imposed, resulting in a loss of funding and a significant blow to rugby in the country. This warning comes amid a dispute between the Samoan government and Lakapi Samoa, which saw the government withdraw its recognition and financial support on July 30. The government cited months of consultations and attempts to resolve internal issues within the union before launching a rival entity, the Samoa Rugby Football Union.

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Last I heard, they will review the Lakapi Samoa and I am waiting on the government to give their official correspondence to accept the review.

World Rugby is awaiting the Samoan government's formal acceptance of a review into Lakapi Samoa's operations. Seumanu expressed that the review, initially planned until November 2026 and proposed to extend to December 2026, is crucial for addressing "misinformed allegations" against board members, including accusations of greed and theft. He believes the review will "clear our names and clear our reputations."

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It will investigate all our office operations and answer some of the questions and all the misinformed allegations towards members of our board saying they are greedy and thievish.

However, the government's acceptance of both the review's timeframe and its execution is pending. Seumanu emphasized that the government's approval is necessary, especially given the scale of the investigation. He is awaiting official correspondence from the government regarding the review, highlighting that he has not received any updates as of Friday.

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We are confident in going ahead with the review. That is the only way to solve all these issues being raised against us.