Montpellier given slap on the wrist

Montpellier have been slapped with a fine of €5,000 for fielding a below-strength squad in the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Montpellier have been slapped with a fine of €5,000 for fielding a below-strength squad in the Amlin Challenge Cup.

The French club appeared before an independent Disciplinary Committee in Dublin on Thursday as the result of a misconduct complaint brought against the club by ERC after failing to nominate its strongest possible squad as required by the Tournament Rules.

Montpellier pleaded guilty to the misconduct complaint despite having won both their games so far to lead Pool 3.

After hearing the evidence and considering submissions on behalf of Montpellier the Committee found that Montpellier were guilty of misconduct.

The Committee accepted that the club had demonstrated a desire to compete in the Amlin Challenge Cup, but it considered that the omission from the squad of international players such as Francois Trinh-Duc, Fulgence Ouedraogo and Julien Tomas, represented a clear breach of the Tournament Rules.