Bad enough for last year's beaten finalists Perpignan that they should fail to get out of the Pool stage, but now they face not one, but twelve citing complaints lodged by London Wasps after the game played at Stade Aime Giral that ended in a defeat for the home side that ended their hopes of qualification for the quarter-finals.
In a statement issued Tuesday, February 3rd, the ERC announced that they have received 12 citing complaints against five Perpignan players lodged by London Wasps with regard to their Heineken Cup Pool 6 match against Perpignan played on Sunday, 1st February, 2004.
An independent Disciplinary Committee will be appointed to hear the complaints.
The London Wasps citing complaints are: 1) Michel Konieckiewicz - four (4) alleged incidents of foul play (2 stamping, 2 punching)
2) Rimas Alvarez Kairelis - three (3) alleged incidents of foul play (head butt, stamping, use of forearm)
3) Lionel Mallier - two (2) alleged incidents of foul play (punching, use of forearm/head)
4) Bernard Goutta - two (2) alleged incidents of foul play (stamping. punching)
5) Perry Freshwater - one (1) alleged incident of foul play (stamping)
Under the rules of the competition, a citing complaint must be made, in writing, and received by the Disciplinary Officer within 50 hours of the start of the match. The independent Disciplinary Committee is chosen by the Chairman of Discipline, Professor Lorne Crerar The panel normally consists of a legal expert (Chairman), an eminent rugby administrator and former player. d) No member may be chosen from a country whose club is a party to the complaint and both parties (ie London Wasps and Perpignan) are entitled to be present at the hearing.