Northern Suburbs player slapped with 16-week ban

Nothern Suburbs player Tony Opany has been slapped with a combined 16 week ban from rugby after he was found culpable of committing an offense contrary to the World Rugby Handbook and the Kenya Rugby Union disciplinary code and tournament participation rules.

According to the judicial ruling, a four-week ban was imposed on the player for disrespecting the authority of a match official and a 12-week ban given for verbally abusing the match official.

In the disciplinary ruling by the country’s rugby governing body, the 24 year old was found in contravention of rule 9.28 consequently accruing the punishment delivered.

“The Judicial Panel categorized the acts of: (i) A player must not disrespect the authority of a match official and (ii) a player must not verbally abuse a match official. As mid-range offences on the scale of seriousness and having considered aggravating and mitigating circumstances imposed upon the player a four (4) week and a twelve (12) week suspension respectively. The Sentences will run concurrently. “

“In accordance with the R.17.19.10 and in line with the player’s schedule, he will serve suspension from 15 February 2022,” the ruling read.

The referee’s report in the match that pitted Suburbs against Kisumu RFC at the Catholic University Grounds on 12 February 2022 says the player disputed a try awarded to Kisumu by confronting the match referee and asking that the try be cancelled.

After the request was declined, the referee says the player used an abusive language saying “F**k you, you have been paid you don’t know how to ref, go to hell.”

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The player and his Captain were summoned by the match referee who requested the player to stop further abusive language but Opany instead repeated the insult which resulted in him receiving a red card.

The player in his defence denied using an abusive language towards and stated that though he was the player shown the red card, he was not wearing jersey four as the Referee’s report suggests.

The player admitted disputing the legality of a quick line-out call made by the match referee as it resulted in a try against Northern Suburbs. He says his words towards the referee were “Guys ref anabore tucheze tu (Guys, the Ref is boring, let’s play on)” which he believes might have been “unfriendly words” towards the Referee.

The player has seven days to appeal the decision with the KRU Competition’s department.

Currently, Suburbs find themselves in the relegation battle in the second tier with only four games to go.