More even handed reporting on the background: www.thenational.ae/sport/rugby/n ... federation and current events www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... gxodk.html Sensationalist tabloid journalism here www.loverugbyleague.com/news_181 ... attle.html

More even handed reporting on the background: www.thenational.ae/sport/rugby/n ... federation and current events www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... gxodk.html Sensationalist tabloid journalism here www.loverugbyleague.com/news_181 ... attle.html

You promulgating conspiracy theory again, chief?

Better late than never, I guess. But good for you!

1. Again, what was he supposed to do that he hasn't done? He wasn't arrested for not following procedures, he was arrested because the RU body claimed that by starting a RL federation he was somehow impersonating them and infringing on their jurisdiction, which is absolutely, fundamentally wrong as RL and RU are completely different sports. There is no mention of Nissan or any kind of sponsorship in the communique and I'm not sure why you keep referring to that.

2. Because I feel like you're not very intelligent and require sensationalist comparisons to understand simple concepts. 'Local spat' or not, a man has been arrested at the behest of RU for nothing other than starting a RL federation. This is an issue that requires attention and if WorldRugby don't act then they cannot claim to have any integrity as a governing body because they're effectively endorsing these actions.

The issue here is that the UAE RU body incorrectly claimed that RL and RU were the same sport, and for whatever reason the government believed them. Outside parties need to step in and make it clear that they are completely different sports, that RU has no jurisdiction or ownership of RL and then ensure that Sol Mokdad is released from prison and allowed to go free. If this doesn't happen then this illegal situation will continue. 'Just a local spat' is one of the most bizarre and pathetic excuses for corruption I've ever heard.

Hopefully he will be released soon.

are you really that slow?
to run and oversee a sport....ANY sport in UAE, you need to be registered. Now, registration, generally involves paper work.......forget unions bogus claims of governance and forget the fraud case......before all of this, the correct procedures we're not adhered to........and thats why he was brought to the attention of the authorities.
Now it seems he's there illegally........outstanding governance from the rlef

Haven't seen a sidestep like that since Paul Newlove was playing

Just look at the bigger picture instead of trying to find a view which suits your agenda. Whether they are an illegal sport in the UAE or not, what has it go to do with UAERU? And before you start going on about the Nissan deal, you need to back that argument up with facts and not hearsay or conjecture.

What everyone else has done is provided an argument based on the facts of the articles and statements released about this story. What your argument is based upon is mainly guess work. Yes they should have registered the sport legally first, but the question remains. Why are the local RU getting involved and claiming the rights over a totally different sport? Its like the ECB claiming rights over UK Baseball because they both play with a bat and ball.

I notice the Union apologists have stayed very quiet on the issues in Italy.

I'll wait while they try and drag up some irrelevant point to try and pretend it's not actually happening.

I've heard from a completely unreliable and totally one eyed source that the Italian issues are nothing more than just a local spat.

But he wasn't arrested for incorrect procedures or paperwork, he was arrested because the RU body falsely accused him of infringing on their territory. Whether or not he completed relevant paperwork is nothing to do with this thread. You're making this up as you go along, almost as much as the UAE RU are. Just stop for your own sake.

The situation in Italy is actually quite different and involves a rogue RL body trying to gain some sort of legitimacy by affiliating with the government-recognized RU federation. It's still a problem that needs to be addressed and rectified but it's an issue of governance rather than corruption and nothing to really blame RU for, they are a relatively innocent third party there. A more relevant situation would be the one in Morocco, where RL was completely banned at the request of the RU federation.

Quote Concerning UAE, Sol Mokdad, president of the Rugby League Commission in the UAE, which is an Observer of the RLEF, was imprisoned last Wednesday following a charge filed by the Emirati rugby union federation. The RLIF appointed legal representation and is corresponding with the authorities in the UAE.'" www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/105 ... sses-range

Quote Concerning UAE, Sol Mokdad, president of the Rugby League Commission in the UAE, which is an Observer of the RLEF, was imprisoned last Wednesday following a charge filed by the Emirati rugby union federation. The RLIF appointed legal representation and is corresponding with the authorities in the UAE.'" www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/105 ... sses-range