Springbok rugby legend Bryan Habana has revealed the painful truth behind his fractured relationship with his father, Bernie, disclosing that his father stole a significant amount of money from him. The revelation came during an emotional interview on the UK-based podcast, Business of Sport. Habana stated that he has effectively had no relationship with his father since the discovery in 2010.
Habana explained that he trusted his father to manage his financial affairs "from an early age". While earning a salary as a professional rugby player, Habana relied on Bernie to handle the substantial extra income derived from sponsorships and endorsement contracts. However, he alleges he saw none of this extra income.
Habana believed that Bernie had established a Bryan Habana Trust to manage the extra income from sponsorships and endorsements. However, Habana later discovered that this trust was never created, and all the money was allegedly "going into my dad’s bank account". When asked directly whether his father had pocketed the money, Bryan confirmed: "Yeah. They were living off it."
The rugby icon recalled a specific incident at the end of 2009, which prompted him to take action. He contacted his individual sponsors to inform them that his father was no longer authorised to negotiate his contracts. "But the CEO of Canterbury International [the apparel makers] e-mailed me back immediately and said ‘Bryan, we’ve just signed you for five years. We paid a very big re-signing fee’."
Confronting his father about the Canterbury deal, Habana said his father initially denied receiving any money. "But I had the contract in front of me… It was tough."
Even before this discovery, there were warning signs. Habana revealed that Janine, who would later become his wife, was the first person to question Bernie's control over his finances.
Further adding to the betrayal, Habana recounted how, in the lead-up to his wedding to Janine, Bernie had convinced them to have a large, public spectacle, despite their desire for a more intimate affair. Habana, who was playing in New Zealand at the time, received calls from wedding organisers stating that they had not been paid by Bernie.
Adding to the financial strain, when Habana and Janine were relocating to Cape Town following his signing with the Stormers, he entrusted his father with putting down a deposit on their dream house. “He said: ‘Cool, it’s coming.’ The more I asked, the more it wasn’t coming. So I had to get bridging finance…”
Habana explained the difficulty of keeping the mismanagement secret, as the public perceived him and his father to have a very close relationship. He said that this perception, however, "cut him up".
Despite the deep betrayal, Habana expressed a willingness to reconcile with his father, stating: "I would easily choose it if he was willing to meet halfway." However, he emphasised that his priority now was "my tribe" – Janine and their sons Timothy and Gabriel.
Follow Us on Twitter
