Dupuy’s six-month ban ‘excessive’, claim Stade

FRANCE’S first choice scrum-half Julien Dupuy has been ruled out of the RBS 6 Nations Championship after receiving a six-month ban for eye-gouging.

An independent disciplinary hearing in Dublin yesterday ruled that Dupuy should be suspended up to and including June 3, 2010 for eye-gouging Ulster, Ireland and Lions flanker Stephen Ferris during Stade’s Pool Four Heineken Cup match against Ulster at Ravenhill on December 12.

Stade replacement prop David Attoub, who was also cited for eye-gouging Ferris, faces an anxious wait to learn his fate after independent judicial officer Judge Jeff Blackett ruled that further evidence needed to be considered and adjourned the hearing until a date to be confirmed in January.

Dupuy and Attoub had already apologised and been penalised by Stade, who issued an official apology over the incident.

However, Stade president Max Guazzini denounced the ban as “excessive” and anti-French.

“It’s excessive, very political and anti-French,” said Guazzini .

“The ERC wanted to make an example of a symbolic player of Stade Français and of the French team which has never had a disciplinary problem.

“It’s not normal that a private organisation in Ireland prevents a club employee from working, from playing. It is we who pay him.”

France national coach Marc Lièvremont has called on Stade to appeal against Dupuy’s ban.

“We expected the worst and the worst thing has happened to Julien because six months is huge,” said Lièvremont.

“I hope there is an appeal and that the ban is replaced by something more reasonable.”

Meanwhile, there was criticism of Stade’s attempts to blame a sports photographer for the disciplinary action being taken against Attoub.

The French club accused photographer Oliver McVeigh of doctoring his images to show the prop forward gouging at the eye of Ferris.

McVeigh, 48, a photographer of 28 years’ experience, works for Sportsfile, a Dublin-based agency. He was summoned to account yesterday at the hearing to defend the authenticity of four photographs he took.

At the request of ERC, McVeigh also sent the four images to a department at the University of Manchester which specialises in the forensic analysis of images for the police and the legal profession.

“It is a nasty allegation which I totally refute,” said McVeigh.

“It not only questions my integrity but also that of my agency. I was using a 500mm lens shooting pictures from the corner of the ground where the players access the pitch. I took about 38 images of the incident.”