Argentine rugby player Cipriano Martinez banned for 29 years for kicking Juan Masi in the head

3 comments so far

• Well, fine, a lifeteime ban, as it should be.

  But - just like in every other contact sport - including AFL and and NRL - why the hell aren't these people also charged for assault by the police?!??

  Commenter

  Xolin

  Date and time

  April 21, 2016, 9:47AM

  • Now I'm no lawyer, but the first thing that would jump out at me about your comment/question is 'is the law adequately prepared to deal with this'...

    Much of the common law we have is based around common and reasonable interactions between people and the obligations we owe them and are owed to us around safety, respect, etc, etc. It would seem that when players go onto a football field or into any other sport, the law passes (abdicates?) responsibility to the specific sports code of conduct and the rules of the game...pretty much every sport has a ruling body that levies punishment for any transgression.

    So while I agree with you in principle, much work would need to be done to apply common law to the sports arena so that what is considered unreasonable in normal life is not ruled on incorrectly in an environment where rough physical contact is considered the norm.

    Commenter

    Simon

    Location

    Curl Curl

    Date and time

    April 21, 2016, 12:21PM

• Although 29 years is effectively a life-long ban in this instance, I think the term 'banned for life' should be writ large next to Cipriano Martinez's name, so the consequences of such wanton aggression and unsporting behaviour are clearly disassociated with our magnificent sport.

  Commenter

  G-Baby

  Date and time

  April 21, 2016, 11:24AM

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