After landing in hot water and being removed as skipper of South Africa’s U19 team, David Teeger released a statement in his defense. The recently turned 19-year-old stated that his previous comments were ‘naive’ and were spur of the moment. However, Teeger defended his right to support Israel and stated that he’s fine with people disagreeing with his opinion.
As per the Cricketer, David Teeger in a statement said: “My comments made on 22 October, 2023, were an expression of appreciation for the efforts of soldiers who were mobilised to protect the citizens of Israel and to secure the release of the hostages taken by Hamas.
“Further, the comments I made on acceptance of the award were intended to be a personal reflection and not representative of the position of CSA, the Lions or any of the teams in which I participate.
“Having considered the matter further, I appreciate I may have been naive in thinking that this personal reflection would be received as such.
David Teeger: Sorry, not sorry statement
“I regret not giving more consideration to whether my impromptu comments would be scrutinised given my growing prominence in sport or that these comments may be repeated in the media – although I maintain that my comments cannot reasonably be interpreted to be representative of the position of CSA, the Lions or any of the teams in which I participate, and at the time I did not intend or foresee that anyone would interpret the comments in this way.”
“It was therefore hurtful to read that my personal reflection on 22 October, 2023, of Israel’s response to the Hamas attack has been equated to supporting genocide or condoning hatred based on race, ethnicity or religion.
“Thus, my statements were not in support of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity because in my view Israel is innocent of all these allegations. On the other hand, I accept, that many people and governments, including the South African government, hold an opposing view. Disagreeing in a respectful manner on a contested and emotionally charged matter is a fundamental pillar of our democracy and Constitution. I respect the right of others to disagree with my view on Israel.
