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Australian Rugby League chairman Colin Love has lashed his former New Zealand counterpart Selwyn Bennett for "disgraceful" conduct over the Nathan Fien affair.
Love reacted after a newspaper report yesterday suggested that ARL chief executive Geoff Carr knew Fien was not eligible to play for New Zealand two days before the player made his international debut in the Tri-Nations series.
The Sunday Star-Times said it had a fax showing Carr knew of Fien's heritage and warned the NZRL that a journalist knew Fien was ineligible, and picking him could cause major problems.
The so-called Grannygate saga resulted in NZRL chairman Bennett resigning, Fien losing his place in the Kiwis squad, and the team having two competition points deducted.
Bennett said Carr's role should be thoroughly investigated. "Not only Geoff Carr, but the secretary at the ARL [Love] looked into it [Fien's eligibility]. The only one who didn't seem to know anything seemed to be me," he told the newspaper.
Love denied he was asked to look into the eligibility issue prior to the Kiwis selecting and playing Fien. He said Carr had raised a query with Bennett over Fien's eligibility on October 19, two days before the match.
"He was given a verbal assurance by Mr Bennett that he [Bennett] had investigated the matter and that Fien was eligible because his grandmother was New Zealand-born.
"On that same day, Mr Bennett confirmed his assurance in writing, and attached a copy of a birth certificate, which he stated was the birth certificate of Nathan Fien's grandmother."
Love said it subsequently transpired the birth certificate was of Fien's great-grandmother. He said Bennett knew that on October 19, as had New Zealand team management.
"Mr Bennett had not communicated that knowledge to Mr Carr, nor apparently to his own board. It later emerged that Fien had presented the NZRL with four birth certificates but that the NZRL had chosen to selectively put forward one - and erroneously represent that one as being the birth certificate of Fien's grandmother."
Love, chairman of the International Rugby League Federation, said he was extremely disappointed by what had happened. "I believe that some of the conduct now apparent has been disgraceful."
- NZPA
