HEINEKEN CUP

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Catalans head to the courts over Tincu

Saturday 15th November 2008

Marius Tincu: Subject of court action

Perpignan are ready to challenge Marius Tincu's 18-week suspension for eye-gauging in the civil courts after seeing their appeals to the European Rugby Cup fall on deaf ears.

The Romania international was last week slapped with the heavy sanction after the ERC's disciplinary commission found him guilty of "making contact with the eye/eye area" of Ospreys prop Paul James during a Heineken Cup Pool Three match on October 18.

Perpignan immediately launched an appeal but that was rejected yesterday, leaving Tincu staring at a ban until March 10.

However, the French side have vowed they will not let the matter rest, insisting they will "not accept the unacceptable", and will take their appeals to the higher courts.

A club statement released last night said the ERC had "quite simply just rewritten the fundamental principles of European rights".

It added: "We reserve the right to follow all possible avenues in front of national and international sporting courts, but also to challenge the ERC in front of civil tribunals."

Perpignan claimed last week they could pull out of the Heineken Cup if Tincu's ban was not overturned.

They believe there is no clear footage of the incident and say the player has been condemned "without a shadow of proof".

The French side are currently third in their group, level on five points with the second-placed Ospreys.

They have back-to-back matches against Leicester coming up in December, by which time New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter will have linked up with the squad.