On Friday, Cricket South Africa announced that it had decided to strip U19 captain David Teeger of his title ahead of the World Cup, set to kick off in Potchefstroom next week. CSA suggested he could be the target of pro-Palestinian protests due to his Jewish identity and vocal support of Israel in its war against Hamas.
Teeger became the subject of an enquiry after making pro-Israel comments during an awards ceremony in October, however he was eventually cleared to play after it was determined he had not violated the code of conduct. While he will still be allowed to take part in the World Cup, another player will be chosen as captain for the duration of the tournament.
In a press release posted to X, CSA explained that it "has been receiving regular security and risk updates regarding the World Cup, adding, "We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament."
"We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA under-19 captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors."
Ths national sporting organization went on to declare that it had decided that Teeger "should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament ... in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself."
"David," they concluded, "will remain an important and active member of the squad and we wish him and the team success in the tournament. The newly appointed captain will be announced in due course."
The move comes as South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians at the UN's International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, according to Reuters.
As ESPN cricinfo reports, Teeger has not shied away from expressing his support for Israel. After receiving the "rising star" award during the ABSA Jewish Achiever Awards ceremony in October, just weeks after the latest round of terrorist attacks began, he used his acceptance speech to advocate for the soldiers fighting Hamas.
"More importantly, yes, I've been awarded this award, and yes, I am now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel," he said. "So I'd like to dedicate this award to the South African family that married off one son whilst the other is still missing, and I'd like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and to every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora."
An official complaint was promptly launched by the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance and a number of other groups issued statements of grievance. In response, an independent enquiry was launched by lawyer Wim Trengrove. He found, however, that Teeger had acted in accordance with his constitutional rights, and had not violated any code of conduct.
CSA accepted the results, but the PSA did not. In a statement, they suggested Teeger had caused a "significant rift within the cricket community" and questioned whether he was "fit to represent a diverse South African team and more so, whether he has the necessary capacity to lead any such team."
