Michael Cheika banned after ‘disrespecting’ match doctor in his first game in charge of Leicester
Michael Cheika's will serve a two-game ban
Leicester Tigers head coach, Michael Cheika, will serve a two-game suspension following an altercation with the independent match day doctor during his side’s win over Exeter Chiefs.
The incident occurred late in the second-half, where Cheika was alleged to have ‘disrespected’ the independent match day doctor; and he was later charged with being in breach of RFU Rule 5.12 – conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.
Two-week ban
Following an independent disciplinary hearing yesterday, Cheika will serve a two-game ban; however one week of it will be suspended until the end of the 2024/2025 Premiership campaign.
Commenting on the decision to ban Cheika, Richard Whittam KC, independent disciplinary panel chair said: “Then panel found that Michael Cheika disrespected the Independent Match Day Doctor in challenging the decision he had made that a player was subject to an IPR (Immediate Permanent Removal).
England: Halfback crisis as Steve Borthwick’s star duo in doubt with ‘no timeline’ on returns
He added: “Although it was an unusual case because there was a lack of clarity about the decisions made about the head injuries, the decisions of the Independent Match Day Doctor must be respected. In this particular case, the appropriate sanction was one of two weeks. The panel mitigated this by suspending one week until the end of the season.”
The full judgement will be made available in due course.
Cheika’s Tigers reign to date
It was always going to be an eventful start to life for the former Wallabies boss at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, but he has certainly flipped the narrative surrounding the club on it’s head in his short tenure.
Things began with a opening-day win over Exeter Chiefs, with Tommy Reffell’s last-gasp try snatching a 17-14 win for Cheika’s side. This was followed by a clash with Bath, however they fell just short of a win against the title favourites as they lost 20-15.
The Cheika-less Tigers now prepare for a trip up north to face Newcastle Falcons.
READ NEXT: England: Eight potential November bolters, including ‘bullish’ tighthead and ‘ready-made’ flanker
