Backlash after Mathieu Bastareaud handed only three-week ban over homophobic abuse in Champions Cup

European Rugby officials are facing a backlash after Toulon centre Mathieu Bastareaud was handed just a three-week ban for verbally abusing an opponent, with the France international using homophobic language towards Benetton lock Sebastian Negri during last weekend’s Champions Cup encounter.

An independent disciplinary panel deemed that Bastareaud’s offence – he was heard calling Negri a “f*****g f****t” on referee Luke Pearce’s microphone – was worthy of a low-entry point sanction, which stood at six weeks.

But after Bastareaud’s guilty plea and “no aggravating factors” were taken into account, a 50 per cent reduction – the largest ban reduction possible – was applied to the ban, meaning that Bastareaud will be able to play again from 4 February. As a result, Bastareaud, who was selected in new head coach Jacques Brunel’s first international squad on Wednesday, will miss France’s opening Six Nations game against Ireland as well as Toulon’s final Champions Cup game against Scarlets this weekend.

The decision has prompted a large backlash on social media, not least because England and Wasps flanker James Haskell received a four-week ban from the same disciplinary panel for his dangerous tackle on Harlequins centre Jamie Roberts. Haskell was handed a six-week suspension after his shoulder made contact with Roberts’ head during last Saturday’s defeat by Quins that resulted in a red card, with the panel reducing the sanction by two weeks due to his guilty plea, good disciplinary record and immediate remorse in checking on the Wales international’s condition after the tackle.

Haskell will miss England’s Six Nations games against Italy and Wales next month, but will return in time for their third encounter against Scotland on 24 February should Eddie Jones select the back-row.

While Haskell’s case is unrelated to Bastareaud’s given every hearing is judged on an individual basis, the verdicts have raised serious questions about the image that World Rugby is portraying. The governing body declared a much tougher stance would be taken on verbal abuse in 2016 in the wake of the incident involving Joe Marler after he used a derogatory slur towards Wales prop Samson Lee, who comes from a traveller background, and a number of public figures called for Bastareaud to be severely punished in order to show that such homophobic language will not be tolerated in the sport.

Social media users expressed a clear disdain that the ban was far too lenient, with some asking what would need to have been said in order to qualify as worthy of a high-end entry point sanction, with former England fly-half Andy Goode this week calling for officials to “throw the book” at the French centre.