Sydney (Reuters) – The Fijian Drua team has strongly condemned the alleged racist abuse that was directed at their scrumhalf, Frank Lomani, by a fan during the Super Rugby Pacific match against the Melbourne Rebels last weekend. The incident occurred after Lomani was shown a red card for elbowing an opponent in the head during the 41-20 loss at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Friday.
Following his dismissal, Lomani returned to the team bench but quickly stood up, threw his chair aside, and confronted the fans who had been verbally abusing him as he left the pitch. Drua coach Mick Byrne confirmed on Sunday that Lomani had indeed been subjected to racial abuse, describing it as a “disgrace” and calling for the fan responsible to be permanently banned from the stadium.
In a statement released on Monday, the Drua expressed their shock over the alleged racial abuse suffered by one of their players during the match against the Rebels. They emphasized that racism has no place in any context and that everyone has a responsibility to protect players and staff from such situations that contradict the values of the sport.
The Drua also acknowledged the apology extended by the Rebels and their commitment to investigating the identities of the individuals involved in the incident. Super Rugby Pacific is also conducting its own investigation into the matter. The Drua, who have remained undefeated at home this season but have yet to secure a win away from home, are set to face the Wellington Hurricanes in Suva in their next match on April 19.
However, Lomani is unlikely to feature in that game as he faces a potential ban after being cited on Monday for “physical abuse” related to his red card offence. The situation is still developing and more updates are expected in the coming days. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
