Lifetime ban for attack on referee
Rugby
The Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) confirmed that Grootfontein wing Mischaél Marais has been banned from playing rugby for life, following an on-field incident against referee Oscar Lambert, which was captured during the live broadcast of their NRU premier league match two weekends ago against Reho Falcon.The Union reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the integrity and safety of the sport and stated that it will not tolerate any actions that jeopardise these values, in a media statement released yesterday.
Marais will also serve a 156-week ban from all forms of rugby (including coaching, refereeing and administration) effective from 30 May 2024. This ban will end on 31 May 2027 upon clearance by the NRU.
The player was informed of his right to appeal the sentences.
He was charged with engaging in conduct detrimental to the sport and the NRU after he executed a flying tackle on the referee. He attended a disciplinary hearing on Thursday 30 May.
The disciplinary committee emphasised the severity of the offense and took note of the potential for serious injury to the match official, the deliberate nature of the act and the negative impact on the reputation of the NRU and the sport of rugby internationally.
NRU president Petrie Theron condemned the incident. “This conduct is shocking and unacceptable. The NRU like World Rugby has zero tolerance against the abuse of match officials.”
Namibia's national rugby team head coach, Allister Coetzee, called it a sad occurrence and said he regarded the incident as a red flag.
“Handing the culprit a stern sentence or a life ban will not solve the problem and frustrations. We have to look at this incident and investigate it thoroughly so that it can be determined what leads to such incidents.”
He added that the overall Namibian rugby product can only be as good as its referees.
“They play a big role and sacrifice a lot. They have to travel far and because of this kind of abuse, no one would want to become a referee.”
Coetzee reckons Namibian referees need to be set up to perform better.
“If we do not do it, we will sit with a big problem. As much as we develop players and coaches, we need to do the same for referees to ensure they are at their best to contribute to a good quality domestic league.”