A Jewish cricketer will no longer be the captain of South Africa’s team at the Under-19 Men’s World Cup this month amid fears for his safety and the well-being of others following his comments in support of Israel in its war against Hamas.
Cricket South Africa (CSA), the governing body of the sport in the country, said in a statement that it is expecting protests relating to the war in Gaza at venues when the tournament gets underway next week. The organization said it has been advised that the demonstrations are likely to focus on captain David Teeger and “there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of [protesters].”
“CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament,” the organization said, stressing it had a duty to safeguard everyone involved with the World Cup. “This is in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself.”
At least one protest at a cricket match in South Africa has already taken place in relation to Teeger’s captaincy, according to ESPN cricinfo, amid a controversy sparked by remarks he made dedicating an award to Israeli soldiers last year.
In late October, following the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas in response to the group’s attacks, Teeger won the Rising Star award at the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards. “Yes, I’ve been [given] this award, and yes, I’m now the Rising Star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel,” Teeger said in his acceptance speech, according to South African Jewish Report.
He went on to further dedicate the award to a South African family affected by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, as well as “the state of Israel and every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora.”
His comments sparked a backlash when they were widely reported across South African media. The Palestinian Solidarity Alliance filed a complaint with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), while CSA established an independent inquiry into the matter which ultimately cleared Teeger of wrongdoing.
Nevertheless, the decision to remove Teeger comes amid heightened tensions around Israel’s conflict. On Thursday, South Africa began laying out accusations of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel’s actions in recent weeks amount to the intentional destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel denies the claims.
