An Argentinian rugby player who inexplicably tackled a female referee from behind during an Italian league game has been banned for three years, the Italian rugby federation (FIR) announced. 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 and a spell in the sinbin, Benvenuti got up to finish refereeing the game against Valsugana Padua.
Condemning "a deliberate act of violence towards the match referee," the FIR said in a statement Doglioli had been banned "from playing any competitive sport for three years". The 33-year-old South American player had already been suspended by his club midweek. "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.
