Italian rugby club Treviso has suspended an unnamed player after black prop Cherif Traore received a rotten banana as a Christmas gift in a Secret Santa exchange.
This has now prompted a formal investigation.
Traore, a 28-year-old Italian international, who was born in Guinea, was given the present on Tuesday as the club, otherwise known as Benetton Rugby, wrapped up its training schedule before Christmas.
The gift was allegedly given specifically to Traeore during Secret Santa, a game where individuals buy presents that are then distributed anonymously.
“The FIR (The Italian Rugby Federation) informs that the Federal Prosecutor has launched the investigations necessary to ascertain the facts, as well as the collective and individual responsibilities, to protect the founding values and reputation of the game,” the body said.
“Benetton Rugby has simultaneously decided to suspend one of its members as a precaution, for the entire duration of the investigations by the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” it added.
