Toulon have defended captain Mathieu Bastareaud after he made a homophobic comment during Sunday’s European Champions Cup win over Italian side Benetton Treviso.
The 29-year-old apologised but has been cited and could face a ban.
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The club says it is “convinced Mathieu used these unfortunate comments whilst in a state of aggravation as can happen regularly during a game of rugby”.
“He is not at all homophobic,” the statement adds.
“This kind of language should not allow people to condemn our captain who has always defended the rich diversity between individuals and proves it every day within our group of players.”