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Fordyce, Bester to sue ASA chief

    Lourens Schoeman
    November 17 2004 at 08:44AM

Comrades marathon legends Bruce Fordyce and Nick Bester are to take legal action against Athletics South Africa (ASA) President Leonard Chuene over an internal memorandum in which he likens them to "money vampires wanting to satisfy their selfish interests".

The pair are among six internationally respected former road running stars alleged by Chuene to be "the core" of a clique he claims is trying to rally resistance against transformation in road running.

The others are Errol Greene, Petrus Boukes, Alec Riddle and Eastern Province Athletics President Drusilla Deysel.

Boukes and Riddle have been declared persona non grata by ASA, according to the November 12 memo.

An angry Fordyce, who won the Comrades nine times, said on Tuesday he and Bester had been "grossly defamed".

"Our legal counsel is dealing with the matter."

Confirming this, Bester said: "The facts are all wrong."

Chuene's memo slammed athletes and agents as money vampires who "should be shamed and exposed".

He urged ASA members to crush the clique's "rebellion" against transformation.

He alleged "that Harmony Gold, under the captaincy of Mr Nick Bester, is to be used as the flagship of this resistance".

"The fact that some of them have dominated the Comrades marathon does not give them the licence to do as they please," the memo said.

The assistance of Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile would be sought in ensuring these "evil forces are stopped dead in their tracks".

"Our strategy to transform road running and minimise the number of long road races militates against the clique's primary business objective, which is to manufacture ultra-marathoners and use them as stable horses to make money. The fact that the majority of these victims are black athletes from poor backgrounds leaves a very sour taste in our mouths."

Chuene's allegations were a joke, Riddle said. "I think he has gone a bit over the top. Although it does not affect me I'm seeking legal advice."

Boukes vehemently denied there was any move to derail transformation. Black runners were keen to take part in events because of the opportunity to make money.

"And road running is the one pillar that keeps ASA financially alive," Boukes said.

Deysel said she was aware of the memo but had not studied it so she could not comment.