Delon Armitage has been banned from rugby for 12 weeks for abusing Leicester fans during this month’s European Champions’ Cup game at Welford Road. The Toulon full back was found guilty at a disciplinary hearing in London after the committee decided that he had used the words “fuck off” twice in a threatening manner to a group of supporters after his side had lost the game.
A three-man panel found Armitage guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and behaving in “an unsportsmanlike manner” towards home spectators. He might have escaped with an eight-week suspension but his sanction was increased by four weeks because of his poor disciplinary record.
The England international, capped 26 times, was banned for eight weeks in 2011 for pushing a doping official and using abusive language having been asked to provide a urine sample after a Premiership game.
The 31-year-old was cleared of abusing Tigers’ fans as he walked back to the dressing room at half-time because of inconsistent evidence but was found guilty of directing abusive comments at home supporters after mistakenly walking into a fans’ bar rather than the players’ post-match function room. The panel found he had been provoked but was guilty of misconduct. Pending any appeal, he cannot play again until 9 March 2015.