MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Building Falklands/South America relationship playing rugby

Bautista Segonds and Fernando Vela of Rugby Without Borders

A proposed visit by a team of rugby players to the Falkland Islands, scheduled to arrive for a week long visit on December 12, has caused controversy in the Islands, reports the Penguin News.

The visit of 40 men, organised by a foundation based in Argentina, Rugby Sin Fronteras (Rugby Without Borders), is intended to bring rugby to the Falklands with no political or government involvement or agenda, just “building relationships between communities,” president of the organisation, Mr Bautista Segonds said.

Secretary Fernando Vela told the Penguin News:“It is one of the only sports that is a gentlemen’s sport played by animals. If you play rugby, it is easier to bring friendship between players without politics.”

The group will be made up of players from France, England, Ireland, Uruguay and Chile, all recognised players from different unions, and including Gustavo Zerbino, one of the 16 survivors from the infamous plane crash in the Andes.

“If we could bring rugby here and communicate, next year a team from the Falklands could go to Argentina and play there perhaps,” Mr Vela said.

When asked why the foundation chose the Falklands, Mr Bautista said: “It’s nothing to do with politicians and government in Argentina. We want to make that relationship. Where governments can’t talk to each other, we can play rugby.”

Funding their own flights and expenses, the men hope to play two rugby games with local inhabitants and visitors mixed on either team, and to coach rugby in school. Mr Bautista said that government and councillors had given them permission: “We are proud they have given us the permission.

We don’t want to upset people from here, we want to be quiet.”

Councillor Andrea Clausen told the Penguin News councillors had to have a good political reason to refuse a visit and they were careful not to direct.

“We have to have a good reason to stop an organisation from doing something that in their mind is all about enhancing sport in the Falklands,” she said.

The foundation hopes that in the future a Falklands rugby team might travel to play rugby in Argentina.

They are also planning to organise a game between the inhabitants of the town of Puerto Unzue in Argentina and Fray Bentos in Uruguay, who have been involved in diplomatic and legal battles for several years over the construction of a pulp mill on the Uruguayan side of a shared border river.