Mike Tindall speaks out against Rugby Football Union despite being restored to EPS
Mike Tindall, who was restored to elite player squad and given a reduced fine yesterday, has slashed Rugby Football Union while stating that he was made a scapegoat by the governing body. Tindall expressed his thoughts while talking to reporters on November
29.
Mike Tindall was excluded from elite player squad after the end of Rugby World Cup 2011, following an incident that was believed to be breaching the code of conduct of the RFU. He was captured by CCTV camera while talking to a woman in a casino after the
team management allowed him along with six other players out for drinks.
Rugby Football Union had earlier cautioned players not to fall into any controversy regarding women as the union had faced problems during their tour of 2008. Hence, Tindall ignored the warnings and also tried to mislead the union from what really happened.
The matter was probed into and ultimately he was found guilty. The RFU took stern action against the veteran player and fined him with £25,000 and removed him from elite player squad. Later on, Tindall challenged the penalty with the help of Rugby Player
Association (RPA), which was reduced to £15,000 and was reinstated into EPS.
However, the player is not content with the reduction of fine and finds the punishment harsh. Talking to reporters about the matter, Tindall said that RFU targeted him after poor performance of the team during Rugby World Cup.
He claimed that RFU has made him a scapegoat. He added that, “I am deeply disappointed by the way the RFU has chosen to handle the situation and I have felt throughout the disciplinary process that my case was made unnecessarily political and public by the
RFU and that I ended up being made a scapegoat.”
He also stated that, “It had been suggested that I intentionally misled people in relation to the events in Queenstown and I am pleased following this appeal process that it has been made clear that I did not do so. I feel somewhat vindicated by the decision
to reinstate me back into the Elite Player Squad.”
Mike Tindall is one of the senior players of England and his return will strengthen the team.
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