The Italian rugby federation has handed out it's biggest punishment in 20 years after banning a player for purposefully and viciously tackling a female referee during a game.
Rugby is usually known for the respect that players give to the officials, totally the opposite to what often happens at football, however it's not always the case.
In a match between Vicenza and Valsugana recently Bruno Andres Doglioli purposely took out referee Maria Beatrice Benvenuti completely away from the ball in a horrific moment that the player couldn't even claim to have been an accident.
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At the time the player was handed a yellow card whilst the referee finished the match before later being diagnosed with whiplash at a hospital after the match. The 33 year old has now been banned for three years, a move that is likely to end his career:
The club issued a statement saying, "It's an incident for which there is no justification whatsoever. It was a momentary loss of control by the player who, in decades of playing, has always behaved professionally and correctly. Bruno Doglioli, aware of the severity of what happened, wants to first of all send to referee Maria Beatrice Benvenuti his most sincere regrets.
"At the same time, he apologises to his team-mates, members of the club, sponsors and the fans for an incident that risks damaging the image of this marvellous sport."
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It's an awful moment!
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