Resignations accepted with sadness

APIA – The Chairman of Samoa Rugby Union and Prime Minster, Tuila‘epa Sa‘ilele Malielegaoi, accepted the resignations from two top officials of the Samoa Rugby Union last week “with much sadness.”

SRU chief executive officer, Fred Amoa and the head of the high performance unit, Tuala Mathew Vaea resigned suddenly, citing personal reasons as they exited the Samoa Rugby Union.

“Their resignation is fitting for they wanted to have a rest,” said Tuila‘epa. “This is a thankless job. Whatever good you do, when anything goes wrong, the Union is to blame. It’s as though the members of the committee and me were playing on the field. The players go out to play and we get the blame,” he claimed.

As the chairman, Tuila‘epa said the Board and Committee are used to “harsh words” made about them, he said.

The resignation of the two, according to Tuila‘epa, was a decision they made because “they were tired of the criticism and their families getting involved.”