Life bans for ‘thugs’ who abuse officials — SA Rugby boss

SA Rugby is ready to clamp down on fans and club members who abuse and assault referees, the body said in a statement on Wednesday, with bans and other action set to be taken against their clubs should offences continue.

Mark Alexander, the president of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) said he would be writing to all 15 member unions of Saru, urging their disciplinary committees to take the strongest possible action against individuals and clubs under their authority who physically or verbally abused match officials or failed to adequately protect officials.

“We must protect our officials’

“These hot-headed thugs who physically assault officials have no place in the sport and should be banned for life from participating or attending,” said Alexander.

“We must protect our match officials – without whom there would be no sport – and the message must go out in the strongest possible terms that such actions will not be tolerated.”

Alexander was speaking following incidents involving assaults on officials in the Eastern Cape.

“Attacks on referees are rare but when they occur provinces must not hesitate to act,” he said. “These attacks have been condemned by the relevant unions and I trust they will follow through by bringing these matters before disciplinary committees.

“I shall be repeating our message of ‘zero tolerance’ for such behaviour with our members.”

Life ban

Alexander stressed that physical abuse of match officials is regarded as the most serious offence a player or official could commit. That was reflected on World Rugby’s schedule of recommended sanctions. The entry-level sanction for a player physically abusing a match official is 24 weeks, which rises to a life ban as the maximum sanction.

“There can be no sympathy or toleration of the assailants,” said Alexander. “There is no reason at all why anyone involved should lay a hand on a match official. If it does not happen in the most pressured environment of Test rugby, why should it happen at a club match? It must be clamped down on most severely.”