SACA chief Andrew Breetzke slams Tim Paine over misinformed Kagiso Rabada remarks
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT SACA chief Andrew Breetzke defends Kagiso Rabada's doping case handling, criticising Tim Paine's misinformed remarks on the suspension process. Picture: BackpagePix
Image: Backpagepix
Following Tim Paine’s comments on Kagiso Rabada, SA Cricketers Association (SACA) chief Andrew Breetzke said the former Aussie skipper didn’t know what he was talking about.
In light of Rabada’s one-month suspension for taking a banned substance (cocaine), Paine said the handling of the situation ‘stinks’, according to SEN Radio.
Paine was specifically referring to the fact that when Rabada learnt he had failed the drugs test, he left the Indian Premier League to attend to a ‘personal matter’.
It’s understood that Paine believes Rabada should not have used the ‘personal matter’ and revealed then it was a drug-related matter.
Rabada was informed of his test results on April 1, and he immediately flew back to South Africa to follow protocol set out by the SA Institute of Drug-Free Sports (SAIDS) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Rabada's Doping Case Handled Professionally, Adhering to SAIDS and WADA Guidelines
"The criticism that's coming from Australia is somewhat naive and lacks understanding of how doping processes are managed," Breetzke told SportsBoom.co.za.
Breetzke went on to explain that Rabada followed procedure to the letter.
"Effectively, he (Rabada) was notified on the first of April of the positive test, and we consulted with him on the 1st of April for the first time. In accordance with the SAIDS and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules, there is a clear process that follows out of that, and we started that process immediately with him flying back to South Africa, getting the legal team together, the medical experts together, and started the process relative to the rules," said Breetzke.
"That's exactly how it played out. It played out as it must in terms of the rules. When someone tests positive for substances of abuse, the rules are pretty clear: if it's taken in competition, it's a two-year suspension; if you can prove it's out of competition, you can get it down to three months; and if you go into a designated counselling programme, you can get it down to one month.”
Breetzke went on to drive home the point that ‘all the boxes were ticked’ in the process.
“It was professionally dealt with, and KG was absolutely professional, open, and honest in the process, which is why we were able to do it within that time frame."