Fijian chairman steps down

Gavoka stepped down as chairman but would remain on the board, the FRU said in a statement.

Rafele Kasibulu had become interim chairman and would enter negotiations with the government after Fijian Sports Minister Filipe Bole said it would release F$3 million to prepare the team for the World Cup in New Zealand later this year, but only after the Union's board was replaced.

Commerce Commission officials raided the union offices last week following an investigation into a lottery that was set up to raise funds for the World Cup.

The Commission said the FRU had sold lottery tickets for below the authorised price, had used funds for purposes other than the original purposes of holding the lottery and had not included some of the sold tickets in the lottery.

The Commerce Commission also said that about $350,000 worth of tickets had been sold and there was a discrepancy of about $156,000 in the Union's lottery account.

It also said some officials had used lottery funds for travel and tickets to rugby sevens tournaments in Britain and Hong Kong.

The FRU denies any wrongdoing, however, and said in an earlier statement its legal advice was that it was not against the law to discount tickets.

It also said that its 2010 accounts were still being prepared and when finalised would be sent to an independent auditor as well as to the International Rugby Board.

Fiji opens its World Cup campaign against Namibia in Rotorua on September 10.