Italy's Mauro Bergamasco given 13-week ban for gouging

[Captain Morgan]

Italy's Mauro Bergamasco given 13-week ban for gouging

Mauro Bergamasco, the Italy forward, has been suspended for thirteen weeks for deliberately poking the right eye of Lee Byrne, the Wales full back, in last Saturday's Six Nations match in Cardiff.

The lengthy ban was given to the Stade Francais flanker by a three-man disciplinary committee following a citing by the independent citing commissioner, and took into account his guilty plea and other mitigating factors.

Bergamasco, who has the right to appeal the ban which applies to all levels of rugby union and effectively ends his season, will be free to resume playing on June 2008.

The ban rules Bergamasco out of Italy's last two Six Nations matches - away to France and at home to Scotland - but he was expected to miss those games anyway due to a shoulder injury.

Bergamasco, who has scored 13 tries in 64 Tests, is widely regarded as one of Italy's best players and his absence will be a further blow to a side still searching for its first Six Nations win this season after defeats against Ireland, England and Wales.

He is the older brother of Italy back Mirco Bergamasco, a team-mate of his at Stade Francais

Max Guazzini, the Stade Francais owner, was distraught about losing Bergamasco for something that had not been done under their auspices.

"It is very bad news," Guazzini said.

"Bergamasco was playing for Italy but it is the club who continues to pay during the suspension for an offence he did not commit while he was playing for them. Quite apart from the responsibility of the player, of which I will not pass comment, it is Stade Francais who have been penalised. It is a form of double penalty." [/b]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rug...icle3447881.ece

 

[lineens weegie army]

will it be halfed on appeal aswell?

 

[Nidhogg]

Wow, that is quite a blow (for Stade and Italy). I haven't seen the incident, was it bad?

 

[An Tarbh]

will it be halfed on appeal aswell?
[/b]

he's not Irish so I doubt it.

 

[Steve-o]

Wow, that is quite a blow (for Stade and Italy). I haven't seen the incident, was it bad?
[/b]

I think the 3 month suspension speaks for itself

 

[Camberabero]

This suspension is absolutely right.
It' s not the first time that he lose control after a huge hit.

The only thing i cannot understand is why the disciplinary committee didn't cite Lee Byrne too.
Mauro ammitted is guilty, he said Byrne punched him after being tackled high, then Bergamasco lost his mind.

The Stade Français Board will be very disappointed.

I also belive that with Nick Mallet as head coach he will pay costly this suspension, it will be hard to see "BergaMauro" wearing the Azzurri's jersey again.

 

[man007]

Bergamasco is a great player , an tireless foward , Lamentably this kind of things mist the career of a great player

 

[giannes]

bloody hell, he is one of the few players people know in Italy..



I haven't seen the fact, when did it happen?



But for the period he got, it must be something big.. :cryy:

 

[danit]

 

[paridjanian]

<div class='quotemain'>
Wow, that is quite a blow (for Stade and Italy). I haven't seen the incident, was it bad?
[/b]

I think the 3 month suspension speaks for itself
[/b][/quote]

Less disciplined teams like Italy need this kind of action until they get it into their heads, this is professional, international rugby and there is no room for things like that. Italy are lucky they didn't suffer more from their continuous embarrassing behaviour

 

[Pericle]

i agree with Camberabero, nothing to add

 

[Camberabero]

Bergamasco apologies to Byrne and to all italian rugby (federation and supporters).

The whole Bergamasco speech is on his own personal website.

"That's not Rugby - said Mauro - I apologize for my behaviour, I know that what i've done do not reflect the rugby spirit and sportmanship in general."

" It wasn't my intention to hurt Byrne and let him suffer pain."

Rumors says that Phillips (welsh player) punched him just before Mauro put his finger into Byrne's eye.

Mauro's purpose is already setted, he wants to redeem as soon as possible on the pitch.

 

[Nidhogg]

[/b]

:wall:

 

[RC]

I've not seen Mauro play very often at club level, but i have often associated him with being a little (how should i say) on the wrong side of the law on the field. He's quite the dirty player, i'm glad he's had this ban, maybe a certain sense of good conduct will miraculously make it's way into his head.

 

[Nidhogg]

I've not seen Mauro play very often at club level, but i have often associated him with being a little (how should i say) on the wrong side of the law on the field. He's quite the dirty player, i'm glad he's had this ban, maybe a certain sense of good conduct will miraculously make it's way into his head.[/b]

He's a flanker, what do you expect? :lol:

 

[RC]

I expect him not to potentially endanger people's careers.

 

[Nidhogg]

I expect him not to potentially endanger people's careers.[/b]

It was a rhetorical question.

 

[RC]

I still felt compelled to answer it because i didn't really see why his position on the field should in any way justify what he did to Lee Byrne.
Plus, you feel somehow compelled to defend him - becuase he's Italian maybe?
So i had to put you down for that...

 

[Prestwick]

Next time I attack RC with a chair I'll take Nidhogg's advice and claim that I "did not intentionally mean to harm RC in any way" when I wind up in court on GBH charges..

 

[Nidhogg]

I still felt compelled to answer it because i didn't really see why his position on the field should in any way justify what he did to Lee Byrne.
Plus, you feel somehow compelled to defend him - becuase he's Italian maybe?
So i had to put you down for that...[/b]

I think Mauro rightly deserves this ban, poking out eyes doesn't belong on a rugby field.

My comment was a (rather failed) attempt at humour by making a generalization of cheating flankers, the nasty little buggers, from now on I shall use the proper tags to signify this.

For example: [sarcasm]Lomu = phail[/sarcasm]
[irony]Mark Jones is surely a better winger than Vincent Clerc[/irony]
[sex]Tyra Banks[/sex]

In all seriousness, he deserves the ban, no doubt about it.