Quote The continuing struggle to obtain government recognition for rugby league in Morocco has reached a new phase following the added support of Claude Moraes, MEP for London and Chair of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, who has agreed to look into the case and help raise the matter at EU level. In August 2014, Mr Moraes - accompanied by former MEPs and rugby league activists Brian Simpson, an RLEF ambassador, and Terry Wynn - met RLEF General Manager Danny Kazandjian and Middle East Africa Director Remond Safi in London to discuss the case history, dating back to 2009, when the European Federation first requested from the Moroccan government a pathway for recognition of the sport. Since then a protracted correspondence with various Moroccan officials, including two Ministers of Youth and Sport, the ministry’s Director-General, the Moroccan ambassador to the European Union, the Moroccan ambassador to the Court of St James and the Moroccan rugby union, has achieved no substantial shift in Rabat’s position. “We believe we have encountered definite obstruction towards rugby league and can cite various examples dating from our first request for a route to obtain official recognition” said Kazandjian. “The European Union provides substantial aid to the Moroccan government and is well placed to question why it refuses to offer rugby league the opportunity to achieve fully accredited status like any other sport has the right to.” Currently, Moroccan citizens are prevented from officially playing the sport, from using municipal facilities, forming a national team and benefitting from the state’s sport infrastructure. “It is essential that we continue to raise awareness on this case as it is a matter of promoting freedom of choice for citizens as well as fair treatment,” said Mr Moraes “I urge the Moroccan Ministry of Sport to continue in this spirit and offer a clear position for the establishment of an independent Moroccan rugby league."'" www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/974 ... -on-behalf Apparently the Morocco RU conspired with their government to disrupt a British Student Pioneers tour in 2013, and all RL activity has been outlawed since then. Really sad to see that discrimination against RL is still going on in 2015.

Quote The continuing struggle to obtain government recognition for rugby league in Morocco has reached a new phase following the added support of Claude Moraes, MEP for London and Chair of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, who has agreed to look into the case and help raise the matter at EU level. In August 2014, Mr Moraes - accompanied by former MEPs and rugby league activists Brian Simpson, an RLEF ambassador, and Terry Wynn - met RLEF General Manager Danny Kazandjian and Middle East Africa Director Remond Safi in London to discuss the case history, dating back to 2009, when the European Federation first requested from the Moroccan government a pathway for recognition of the sport. Since then a protracted correspondence with various Moroccan officials, including two Ministers of Youth and Sport, the ministry’s Director-General, the Moroccan ambassador to the European Union, the Moroccan ambassador to the Court of St James and the Moroccan rugby union, has achieved no substantial shift in Rabat’s position. “We believe we have encountered definite obstruction towards rugby league and can cite various examples dating from our first request for a route to obtain official recognition” said Kazandjian. “The European Union provides substantial aid to the Moroccan government and is well placed to question why it refuses to offer rugby league the opportunity to achieve fully accredited status like any other sport has the right to.” Currently, Moroccan citizens are prevented from officially playing the sport, from using municipal facilities, forming a national team and benefitting from the state’s sport infrastructure. “It is essential that we continue to raise awareness on this case as it is a matter of promoting freedom of choice for citizens as well as fair treatment,” said Mr Moraes “I urge the Moroccan Ministry of Sport to continue in this spirit and offer a clear position for the establishment of an independent Moroccan rugby league."'" www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/974 ... -on-behalf Apparently the Morocco RU conspired with their government to disrupt a British Student Pioneers tour in 2013, and all RL activity has been outlawed since then. Really sad to see that discrimination against RL is still going on in 2015.

and you have proof of this, or is it yet again an assumption that it had to be RU blocking the sport and not internal politics within the country in question? I read your article, twice and can only find that the "obstruction" is claimed after communication with:


Too often we are told it is big bad nasty Union stopping RL from getting started and in most cases, there is nothing in it at all.......anyone recall the claims that RL was being banned in russia?
[urlhttp://www.rugbyleagueplanet.com/rlp-nations/russia/1796-major-blow-for-the-greatest-game-as-rugby-league-is-banned-in-russia[/url
[urlhttp://i.rlfans.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=571560[/url

Ask one of the students on said trip. They had to make new plans at very late notice. One wrote a very interesting article in RLW at the time.

so there will be a paper trail then, highlighting the exact nature of the changes and why they were made? Good stuff...linky linky!

It's too easy to blame Union.....if there is a level of support for league in morocco, then the game will grow there, but as with the banned in russia story, there's often a more sinister internal squabble in the way rather than the IRB giving a flying one.

Quote ="gutterfax"so there will be a paper trail then, highlighting the exact nature of the changes and why they were made? Good stuff...linky linky! It's too easy to blame Union.....if there is a level of support for league in morocco, then the game will grow there, but as with the banned in russia story, there's often a more sinister internal squabble in the way rather than the IRB giving a flying one.'" Report from the tour detailing Moroccan RU interference: www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/641 ... t-pioneers The game will not grow there if players are being actively banned from playing. BTW I believe the Moroccan RU's actions have also been condemned by the IRB.

Quote ="gutterfax"so there will be a paper trail then, highlighting the exact nature of the changes and why they were made? Good stuff...linky linky! It's too easy to blame Union.....if there is a level of support for league in morocco, then the game will grow there, but as with the banned in russia story, there's often a more sinister internal squabble in the way rather than the IRB giving a flying one.'" Report from the tour detailing Moroccan RU interference: www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/641 ... t-pioneers The game will not grow there if players are being actively banned from playing. BTW I believe the Moroccan RU's actions have also been condemned by the IRB.

So, as I said. Rather than this being UNION stopping league, it smacks of local rivalries coming to the fore........or are the IRB simply playing lip service?

Too easy to blame the bogey man at times......

The f*ck are you talking about? This thread is about RL being banned by the Moroccan government in conjunction with the Moroccan RU. Yes, the Moroccan rugby union. 'Blaming a bogey man'

You RU fans would be funny if you weren't so pathetic.

You believe? What value is that coming from an unreliable source such as you?

Provide a source, or else shut up about your useless "beliefs."

Firstly......calm down. You'll do yourself a mischief with such a quick temper.

I asked if the "ban" was the work of Union or a local spat, with scores being settled. A number of "claims", but little documentation has been offered as to the "request" by the Union to cancel/ban games, but as with previous tales of governments or union banning League, very little actual proof.

Still, as if to prove both our points, you claim that the IRB have admonished the MRFU for their actions....proving that it was a local spat and nothing to do with some imaginary ing master plan to wipe out league......

I am not a Union fan by the way, but someone who doesn't regard pub teams as expansion, or heritage packed teams as proof of international growth either. It comforts you to call me a union fan, but the reality is, it's idiots like you with your narrow minds and narrower opinions who both drive existing fans away as well as putting off any potential newbies.

On the topic of Union "getting in the way". If I ran an organisation and a group of my members buggered off to set up a rival organisation in direct competition to mine, i'd crush them at every turn. But, instead of fighting back, it seems that so called die-hard RL fans would rather whimper about it not being fair......for 120 years.....and you call me pathetic

Who made you President? The Eric Olthwaite of RLFANS! Who was it asked why these boards are dying on their 'arris? Here's your answer!

No doubt in my mind that union is behind the ban.
This case has the hands of union all over it, plus as we are all aware union has a history of this.

Not being recognised by the government as a sport doesn't equate to the sport being banned.

Before we know it, Gutter and Eve will be claiming that the events of 1895 were just a terrible misunderstanding.

At least the Frenchman's posts give us all a laugh.

This forum would be stone cold dead in the off season if it were not for my innovative threads. I bring a French perspective and an NRL perspective to the game, when nothing is happening on the pitch.

It is drones like guttersnipe and headhunter who are killing interest in any serious discussion.

No,
but this does.

This site is worthless in the close season.

It's attention seeking troll posters like you and gutterfax (or whatever your current user names are) that have made it so.

[urlhttp://www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/975/rugby-league-goes-back-to[/url

The above links to a more heartening development story.

Conversely, we can all recognise the 'wheels within wheels' syndrome morphing into corruption.... " look mate, xyz is happening. I don't like it. I want to crush it. I know you'll sympathise with me. You're in a position of power. If you can help me crush this, I'll see you right"

Eric Olthwaite! Class.





I'm betting Jean has a shovel collection...

Gutterfax, I normally have some support for your defence of RU as there is a definite chip in rugby league (but it is there for well documented historical reasons)
But in this case, if the Moroccan RU have involvement in this, you have to accept it's a Union thing. The IRB is the governing body. They are responsible and should be stepping in if their international teams are doing something like this.

For me it should be well publicised so that it stops this kind ofthing happening.
I don't however believe it's a conspiracy at International level. If they were going to do that, they'd hardly start in Morocco

Reading the facts it's obvious that its just local politics at play, which happens in all sports and in all countries. To keep banging on about 1895 etc just smacks of having a victim mentality. Gutterfax is right about it putting off any potential newbies, sport is supposed to be fun, not some fictional class battle with other sports.

It's not like it's happened before, right? news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/f ... 307043.stm www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 01557.html The actions of the RU in WW2 in France are disgusting, but apparently any bad blood between RU and RL is all the RL chaps making?

It's not like it's happened before, right? news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/f ... 307043.stm www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 01557.html The actions of the RU in WW2 in France are disgusting, but apparently any bad blood between RU and RL is all the RL chaps making?

Over 60 million people lost their lives in world war 2 and yet you're piously bleating on about underhand dealings between a few rugby clubs that happened at the same time? Good grief. As i said, its a victim mentality.

Fictional? Are you kidding?
You need to catch up on your history

Jeez' the PuntMonkies are out in force are'nt they? Obviously nowt' interesting on the Onion forums to chat about!

Now thats what you call a straw man argument!!