Rugby player banned for three years for shocking tackle on female ref
Thursday 15 December 2016 16:20, UK
An Argentinian rugby player who inexplicably tackled a female referee from behind during an Italian league game has been banned for three years.
Bruno Andres Doglioli, captain of Serie A side Rangers Rugby Vicenza, violently tackled referee Maria Beatrice Benvenuti in an off-the-ball incident which left the 23-year-old official with whiplash.
Immediately after the incident, which earned Doglioli a yellow card, Benvenuti got up to finish refereeing the game against Valsugana Padua.
Condemning "a deliberate act of violence towards the match referee," the Italian rugby federation (FIR) said in a statement that Doglioli had been banned "from playing any competitive sport for three years".
The 33-year-old had already been suspended by his club in midweek.
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"The Italian Rugby Federation would like to reiterate that this sanction - the heaviest in the last 20 years - underlines that when it comes to infringing the rules of the game and, above all, the fundamental values of our sport, we will show zero tolerance," the FIR said.
"It also underlines the FIR's firm stance against those who abuse, verbally or physically, match officials."
