Rugby league warns officials

 By JACK AMI

PAPUA New Guinea Rugby Football League has warned its affiliated referees and officials against officiating at any competition or tournament it has not sanctioned.

A resolution to this effect was passed by the PNGRFL board and the 44 affiliated leagues during the annual general meeting at Bluff Inn outside Port Moresby last Saturday.

PNGRFL board chairman Sandis Tsaka and chief executive officer Bob Cutmore warned referees, officials and confederate officers recognised by the national body not to get involved in events that the PNGRFL did not sanction.

“Recognised officials from the affiliates and four confederates — Southern, Highlands, Northern and New Guinea Islands — will be severely penalised for illegally officiating in such events,” Tsaka said.

Cutmore said confederate officers who are double dipping in these illegal tournaments would be terminated as they were being paid by PNGRFL.  “This was done in the previous years and this year we should step in the right direction to discourage and avoid all these maladministration in the confederates,” Cutmore said.

Competitions and tournaments which will be affected include the PNG National Rugby League semi-professional league, which is not affiliated to PNGRFL but is considered a commercial entity of its own.

It is understood PNGNRL does not pay any affiliation and registration fees to the national body but in the past has benefitted from referees, players and officials playing in the respective provincial leagues throughout the country.

Since the semi-professional competition started, it did not have referees and touch judges of its own but relied on affiliated leagues of the PNGRFL.

It was revealed that only two franchises’ players were fully registered with PNGRFL while the majority were not but were selected for national duties at the expense of others in the local leagues.

The same applied to other competitions or tournaments not sanctioned by PNGRFL and staged illegally throughout the country using PNGRFL-registered referees and officials.

A senior Port Moresby Rugby League referee Paul Wane said that referees present were advised by PNGRFL referee’s director Joe Peregua not to get involved in non-sanctioned tournaments.