Toulon in new court battle
Toulon's abrasive and controversial boss Mourad Boudjellal has once again threatened to go to court, because a decision did not go his way.
According to reports in the French media Toulon are considering legal action against the two Leicester Tigers supporters involved in a row with their England loose forward Delon Armitage.
Armitage was suspended for 12 weeks as a result of a misconduct complaint lodged against him, following his club's European Champions Cup defeat against Leicester Tigers.
The 31-year-old Englishman – whose teammate, Italian prop Martin Castrogiovanni, received a suspended four match ban and a fine for a post match rant – was found to have used offensive language towards spectators at Leicester's Welford Road ground.
The incident occurred when the teams were making their way to the dressing room, after Toulon's 21-25 defeat against the Tigers.
Armitage took a wrong turn when he became embroiled in a spat with supporters.
An exchange of words led to Armitage allegedly threatening to take a supporter's "f—— face off in the car park" before calling the assembled fans, which included children, "inbred c—s".
But the decision to punish Armitage for his behaviour has prompted fury at Toulon, whose president, Mourad Boudjellal, has claimed he is now considering suing the fans for their part in the spat.
Asked about the decision by La Provence newspaper, Boudjellal said: "It's incomprehensible. It's based on two allegations. There's no formal evidence, no official documents, not even TV images to attest the veracity of these accounts.
"We may even sue those two English supporters, for their false testimonies."
Toulon have the right to appeal the decision to punish Armitage, which they are expected to do.
Boudjellal had previously threatened to take the IRB (now World Rugby) to court over a ruling that forces him to release players for internationals at certain stages of the year, while he also threatened to tear up the contracts of those players who opt to play for their country rather than the club.
Source: Telegraph Sport
