Player handed five-year ban for biting opponent’s penis during match

In France, an amateur player was handed a five-year ban for biting one of his opponent’s penis during a post-match fight in a local league.

The incident reportedly occurred after a second division game between Terville and Soetrich in a local league that ended 1 – 1 on 17 November 2019.

According to a local news website in Lorraine, a player from each side started fighting, another Terville player joined in, apparently trying to separate them. The Soetrich player responded by biting the peacemaker’s penis. The victim required about 10 stitches and had to take four days off work.

‘The events took place after the match, in the stadium car park. There was an altercation, an escalation and things got worse,’ said Emmanuel Saling of the Mosellan football district, adding that the blame was ‘more or less shared’.

Saling also said that because the ‘case was quite original’, the disciplinary committee had called an expert witness before deciding to suspend the Soetrich player for five years.

The injured Terville player was also suspended for six months for his part in the fight.

‘It’s quite rare to have sanctions of several years, there are less than 10 per year,’ Saling said. ‘The case was a bit saucy, but … there must have been some nasty tension, so the smiles on the disciplinary committee quickly faded.’

The publication also revealed that the two clubs were punished with two penalty points and a fine of 200 euros ‘for failing to meet their safety obligations’ and ‘for the lack of reaction from club officials when the fight broke out.’