A SANZAR Judicial Hearing has found the Stormers Team guilty of Misconduct following charges of insulting and offensive conduct towards Match Officials.
The Stormers Team has been found to have brought the game into disrepute and breached Section 8.3 of the SANZAR Code of Conduct during the Stormers vs Hurricanes match on 26 April 2013:
a) All persons must ensure the game is played and conducted in accordance with disciplined and sporting behaviour and acknowledge that it is not sufficient to reply solely upon the Match Officials to maintain those principles;
l) All persons shall not use crude or abusive language or gestures towards referees, assistant referees, Match Officials or spectators.
The Stormers Team has admitted its behaviour and accepted, that insulting and offensive conduct towards match officials was a breach of the SANZAR Code of Conduct and has no place in rugby and has unreservedly apologised to the Match Officials and Mr Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri in particular.
The Stormers Team have been fined the maximum financial penalty of A$15,000 for the insulting and offensive conduct towards Match Officials and A$10,000 for bringing the game into disrepute and also ordered to pay SANZAR’s costs.
The hearing resumed on Wednesday following extended adjournments to allow the Stormers Team to seek independent legal advice in the interests of fairness to all parties.
The Judicial Officer directed SANZAR and the Stormers Team, save for the SANZAR Chief Executive Officer responding to the media in terms consistent with the media release, no person involved in the proceedings will make any further comment in respect of this matter.
OK but nowhere are we being given details of what was said and by who and why it was said.
@jason – I don’t think the public will ever get to know the real story.
It took them weeks to find out what was said and still we don’t know.
The Stormers should fine Habana $10000 for not being able to hold his defensive line!
It is alleged that one of Greg Hechter or Jacques Neinaber, the Stormers coaches on the ground, called the AR a %+$* and threatened to hurt him, given how the match was being handled. No one will come clean on it though, for obvious reasons … But having admitted guilt, one or a few of the mgmt team are guilty of something like this