Former Silver Ferns netball star Maria Folau has slammed Aussie rugby league boss Peter V'landys as a hypocrite for his treatment of the Manly Pride jersey scandal.
Seven players - including Kiwis Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Aloiai and Toafofoa Sipley - have refused to wear the rainbow-trimmed jerseys on religious grounds and boycotted the Sea Eagles' 20-10 loss to Sydney Roosters during the NRL's Women In League Round.
The controversial playing uniforms were designed to show support for the LGBTQ community, but only divided the Manly playing group, as they desperately scrambled for a playoff spot.
But Folau has criticised V'landys for his forgiving stance towards the boycotting players, an attitude not extended to her husband - former NRL and Wallabies rugby star Israel Folau - after he spoke out against homosexuality on social media.
"The game prides itself on treating everyone as a human being, no matter what their race, colour or sexual orientation," V'landys told Sydney radio station 2GB. "We're all human beings at the end of the day.
“Rugby league is the greatest game for all. It’s inclusive, but at the same time, you have to respect people's religious beliefs and cultural beliefs. Those players are taking a stand and they've got every right to - they’ve got freedoms to do so."
Maria Folau has posted on Instagram, insisting V'landys has not been so sympathetic towards her husband, who lost his Rugby Australia contract and has been blocked from returning to the NRL, since declaring "Hell awaits homosexuals" on social media three years ago.
"Umm, so what's Izzy?" she wrote. "A donkey?
"The hypocrisy from this man and this organisation. What a joke!!!"
Since losing his Wallabies contract, Israel Folau has tried to rekindle his rugby league career with Catalans Dragons in France, but his attempts to re-enter the NRL have proved unsuccessful.
"The is inclusive," said V'landys in 2019. "Israel's comments are not inclusive.
"With due respect to Israel, what he says, young kids listen to. He is a role model, they act on it.
"When you're a kid at school and you get based up because you're different, I don't think that's a good thing."
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