Sports Commission says it never received Mick Byrne's medical report

The Fiji National Sports Commission (FNSC) did not receive coach Mick Byrne’s medical report from the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU).

Byrne claimed he had no underlying medical issues, which led to his removal by the FRU on April 1.

Coaches paid through the international coaches grant are required by the Commission to undergo annual medical reviews. This applies to all sporting bodies that employ international coaches. The medical report is provided to the respective sporting body before being submitted to the Commission.

Commission chairman Peter Mazey said yesterday: “We requested Mick Byrne’s medical report from FRU but were not provided with it before we were notified by FRU that he was being replaced.”

Yesterday, Byrne said he was ready and willing to work again after being let go by the FRU two months ago.

The Australian, who was appointed head coach on April 15, 2024, claimed he did not resign and had no health issues.

His three-year contract was due to expire in December 2027.

He had a 67 per cent winning record during his tenure.

“We agreed that they wouldn’t talk about my health as it wasn’t an issue proven by medical report,” Byrne told SUNsports.

“Also I didn’t resign. So they broke that confidentiality when they went public with I resigned amid ongoing health battles.

“I have just cleared up the misconceptions that they went public with.

“The medical report was sent to FRU and sighted and confirmed,” the 67-year-old coach said.

Byrne added that he would not take legal action as a confidential settlement had been agreed upon to avoid it.

“I am now actively looking for work and hope to have some news in the next couple of months.

“I was happy to let my removal pass. But way too many people have been told or read about it and I needed to make it clear I am ready and willing to work again.”

At a press conference on April 1, FRU said that following discussions about the future direction of the Flying Fijians programme, both parties concluded that it was in the best interests of Fiji Rugby to part ways.

When contacted, FRU board chairman John Sanday said the union stood by its decision to part ways with Byrne on April 1.

“FRU stands by the decision we took. It was not taken lightly,” the former Flying Fijians No. 8 said.

“We have also respected his request to keep things low-key and confidential. We will stick to what we agreed to. FRU has moved on and is moving forward.

“We have our important three home games in the Nations Cup starting in about 24 days’ time. We are focusing on giving full support to the team and team officials to achieve maximum success.

“We have positive announcements coming out in the next week. We will focus on the future and leave the past in the past.”

Byrne was replaced by Senirusi Seruvakula, who is serving as interim head coach and will lead the Flying Fijians at the inaugural championship next month.

Seruvakula was part of Byrne’s coaching staff at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where Fiji defeated Australia to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The position of Flying Fijians head coach will be advertised soon.