The captain and two other players of the Argentina national rugby team were suspended as a precaution for "discriminatory and xenophobic comments" published on social networks between 2011 and 2013, the Argentine federation UAR announced last night.
The federal disciplinary commission has been charged with opening proceedings against Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Santiago Socino. "The Argentine Rugby Union firmly rejects the discriminatory and xenophobic comments posted by Pumas members on social media," the federation said in a statement. In those tweets Matera talked about investing black people with his car and denigrated Bolivians and Paraguayans. The federation acknowledged that it must act, even though these publications are old and do not "reflect the personal integrity that the three showed in the colors" of Argentina.