After learning that Italy prop Cherif Traore had received a rotten banana as a Christmas present this week, the United Rugby Championship (URC) declared on Thursday that it has requested Treviso provide a report on the "abhorrent" racism the player had experienced.
URC seeks "full report" on racist banana present given to Treviso player
The Guinean-born 28-year-old received the gift on Tuesday during a Secret Santa exchange with his team, a game in which players buy gifts that are subsequently given out in secret to a group of players.
Treviso, supported by the clothing manufacturer Benetton, will compete against Zebre Parma this weekend in the URC.
The league, which also comprises representatives from Italy, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales, states that it has spoken with Benetton Rugby about the event initially brought to light by Cherif Traore, an Italian international prop forward, in a social media post.
"Benetton Rugby has been requested to produce a thorough report on what happened and what steps would be taken.
It went on to say that racism and discrimination of any type were disgusting, totally unacceptable in society, and directly opposed to the principles of rugby and the United Rugby Championship.
The incident was criticized earlier on Tuesday by England prop Ellis Genge, who will lead his nation in the summer of 2021. The previous two years have seen the Six Nations tournament run a "Rugby Against Racism" campaign.
It's not a huge issue to "give" a "teammate" a rotten banana for Secret Santa, and a simple apology would do!" he said. "No, well done, completely right."
If Benetton doesn't take further action, most people will view what we've done for "rugby against racism" as a checkbox. Treviso initially issued a statement denouncing all types of racism and discrimination.
Later, it was reported that the entire squad had been summoned to a meeting with senior executives who reiterated their disapproval of racism and who accepted Traore's apology.
