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Spain booted from 2023 Rugby World Cup amid fraud allegations
Spain has been booted from the 2023 Rugby World Cup over allegations of passport fraud
World Rugby has found that Gavin Van Den Berg was ineligible to play for Spain, meaning the team is disqualified for the World Cup in France.
An independent judicial committee found the team fielded the disqualified player during the 2021-22 Rugby Europe Championship.
The South African didn’t meet passport conditions and reportedly falsified dates on his documents.
They have been fined $43 000 dollars and been deducted five points for each game that Van Den Berg played.
Spain had secured their spot in the World Cup for the first time since 1999 but they will be replaced by Romania.
Romania was the team responsible for reporting the violation, which has cemented their spot in France.
The Spanish side has the right to appeal the decision.
As this very harsh sanction occurs as a result of an alleged forgery of the aforementioned player’s passport, the Spanish Rugby Federation continues with the extraordinary disciplinary procedure initiated at the time.”
spanish federation
However, it’s not the first time Spain has been in the spotlight for this, they were kicked out in 2019 for similar issues.
In the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup in 2019, Spain was guaranteed a spot if they could defeat Belgium.
An investigation found ineligible players were participating in the match.