Zimbabwean rugby players sleeping rough on the streets of Tunisia’s northern city of Beja will be moved to another hotel, Rugby Africa, the body in charge of the sport on the continent, has said in a statement.

The Sables players had refused to sleep at their hotel, describing it as disgusting.

Pictures of the rugby team sleeping on the streets were posted on social media showing the players lying down on the pavement using their bags as pillows.

The Sables players said they could not sleep at their hotel, describing it as disgusting.

They said they were held up for hours at the airport, as they lacked the funds to pay for visas. They said their coach bought them food with his own money as they had not been given allowances.

Rugby Africa apologised about the incident saying that Tunisia’s rugby union was in charge of accommodation of the visiting players.

It said in a statement:

We rely on our unions to make sure the requirements are met and it is unfortunate that it seemed not to be the case with this hotel in Tunisia. However Tunisia Rugby Union has our trust, they are long term partners to Rugby Africa, hosting several matches and tournaments on our behalf every year.”

The Sables will play the host nation over the weekend as part of Rugby Africa Gold Cup which also acts as a World Cup qualifier.