Benetton Rugby prop Ivan Nemer has been suspended until June 30 after giving Black teammate Cherif Traore a “rotten banana” as a Christmas present, the Italian Rugby Federation has confirmed today.
Traore, who was born in Guinea, received a rotten banana from an unknown teammate during the squad’s secret Santa ahead of Christmas.
ore, capped 15 times by the Azzurri, said that ‘what hurt the most was to see most of my teammates laughing’.
The disgraceful incident sparked a formal investigation from Italian rugby officials, which resulted in the lengthy ban.
Ivan Nemer asked to be able to release the following statement: “Racism has not and will never have any role in my life, just as it shouldn’t have in the life of any of us.
“I am deeply sorry for what happened, for the stupidity of my gesture, for the displeasure caused to a friend, for having caused damage to my team, my teammates, the country I represent and the game I love. I come from a multicultural country like Argentina, where cultures have been mixing for over a century, and I’ve always shared the locker room and the field with teammates and friends from all over the world.
“What happened does not represent me, but at the same time it must make me and make us reflect on how much more needs to be done to change our culture, overcome the most blatant stereotypes, bring us closer to each other even more than is already happening.
“I accept the disqualification and the reintegration process with serenity but above all I trust, in the months and years to come, that I will be able to contribute with my testimony to making more and more young rugby players aware of issues that must be addressed and understood to improve not only our sport, but the world we live in”.