RUGBY BOSS BANNED FOR 'RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC, AND SEXIST' SPEECH

The terms of the ban prohibit Stewart from attending any rugby venue in Scotland for a year. Getty Images.

Scottish Rugby has imposed a 12-month ban on Alloa RFC president Alan Stewart attending matches following an after-dinner speech, described as "racist, homophobic and sexist" by some present.

Stewart has also been suspended from holding any role within the game over the same time period.

Multiple objections were made following remarks by Stewart during Musselburgh RFC's annual dinner on 18 April and an independent disciplinary panel has upheld a misconduct complaint.

Stewart, who can appeal against the decision, has also been instructed to undergo equality, diversity and inclusion training.

Charges against Musselburgh RFC and their president were not upheld.

In April, the board of Musselburgh RFC issued an apology to those who attended, saying: "We particularly wish to recognise and acknowledge the hurt caused to our women's team, who we are extremely proud of and to whom we are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment."

The club criticised the "very poor judgement of the speaker" and said he had sent a written apology.

In a statement issued at the same time, Scottish Rugby said it is "committed to equality, diversity and inclusion at every level of the game", adding: "There is no place for discriminatory behaviour in our sport, or in wider society."

BBC Scotland has approached Stewart and Alloa AFC for comment.

- Colin Moffat

FRENCH OPEN HANDS ADOLFO DANIEL VALLEJO LARGEST FINE IN HISTORY FOR SEXIST REMARKS ABOUT FEMALE UMPIRE

 

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo has been handed a whopping 65,000 euros (£56,250) fine after sexist comments he made after losing a thrilling five-set battle against 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame at the French Open.

He claimed it was unsuitable for a female umpire, in this instance Ana Carvalho, to be officiating the match. He stated this due to the partisan crowd passionately supporting Kouame as he looked to continue his progress in front of his home support.

Female umpires have been officiating men's tennis matches at Grand Slam level since 2007, almost two decades now. Vallejo would have been very annoyed after he ended up losing an absolute thrilling match of tennis

.After going two sets down, the Paraguayan mustered up what seemed to be a hugely impressive comeback as Kouame started to struggle. He was 5-2 up in the fifth and had the chance to serve it out but Kouame struck back. The tiebreak was also ridiculously tense and tight, but Vallejo would come the wrong side of a 10-8 deficit.

Afterwards, he told clay about his displeasure of the crowd not being under control. "This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man; it’s very difficult for a woman to do it," he said. “It has to be refereed by a man because it is a very heavy crowd, and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd."

A lot of backlash came from this and Vallejo responded, apologising on social media. “I want to clarify that my comments were not meant in the way they have been understood. I have respect for the umpire and for the job they do, after a 5 hours battle I was very heated and with a lot of emotions, I apologise,” he wrote.

“I also want to clarify that I didn’t blame the loss on her; she did a good job throughout the whole match. I will learn and get better with this. I also have great respect for Roland-Garros, the French Tennis Federation, and everyone involved in tennis.”

Vallejo handed huge fine

This apology has not got him out of the woods. Deemed sexist, Roland Garros’ tournament director, Amélie Mauresmo, confirmed that he would be fined by the French Tennis Federation a large 65,000 euros. This is a large chunk of his earnings from the tournament, collecting 130,000 euros for reaching the second round.

“A financial penalty was imposed, amounting to approximately 65,000 euros—roughly half of his prize money,” Mauresmo said. "As far as we’re concerned, the situation is very clear: this kind of remark is unacceptable. Neither for the tournament nor for the Federation.”

It is a sorry end to Vallejo's Grand Slam debut. A rapid rise into the top 80 has seen him automatically qualify for the tournament, getting the better of Cameron Norrie in the first round after the Brit had to retire. He was not able to repeat the fate against Kouame as he now reaps the punishment for his comments made after the match.

- Lucas Michael

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