Merger plan is a dangerous move, former chairman says

SPORTS and Pacific Games Minister Justin Tkatchenko’s bid to merge the PNG NRL Bid and PNGRFL is a dangerous move and highly suspicious, John Numapo says.
Numapo, the former chairman of the PNG Rugby Football League and Asia-Pacific Rugby League Con­federation director, said the proposed merger did not serve the interest of the game in the country.
Numapo, who is an executive board member of the Rugby League International Federation, said although the Bid and the PNGRFL were both involved in rugby league, they were two different entities with different purpose and objectives.
He said that was why the PNGNRL Bid and PNGRFL could not be merged.
“The PNG NRL Bid is a company with their own directors and shareholders.
“It operates like any business and is expected to make profit,” he said.
He said the PNGRFL was made up of all the rugby league affiliates from around the country and was a ‘non-profit’ organisation.
“The affiliates make up the PNGRFL and are represented by a board.
“It is an incorporated entity under the Associations Incorporations Act 1996 and has their own constitution that governs their affairs.
Numapo said if Tkatchenko was serious about a merger, than basic protocols “requires him to consult widely and extensively with all the stakeholders”.
“The game is bigger than a handful of self-serving individuals who are trying to change the image and the history of the game in Papua New Guinea for their own ends,” he said.