The Uganda Rugby Union has given Warriors player Gabriel Aredo a 10-month ban for assaulting New Vision journalist Johnson Were. The development was confirmed in a statement issued on October 3, by Uganda Rugby Union secretary, Peter Odong.
Aredo was seen in a video from the Kyabazinga Sevens semifinal between the KOBs and Heathens tackling Johnson Were, who he was trying to stop from taking pictures of the altercation.
“The Disciplinary Committee of the Uganda Rugby Union was convened on September 28th, 2022, and all parties were invited to provide their independent accounts of the incident.” The statement reads.
“The Disciplinary Committee reviewed the merits of the statement and interaction during the session and provided their recommendation to the Executive Committee of Uganda Rugby Union.”
”Mr. Gabriel Aredo is suspended from Uganda Rugby Union sanctioned rugby activities for 10 months effective September 29, 2022,” the statement by Odong partly reads. The decision went into effect on September 29th, indicating that Aredo will resume playing on July 29th, 2023, but it also bans him from any rugby-related activities.
The Union’s decision to suspend Aredo is an effort to mend fences with the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA), which declared a media ban on rugby following the incident.
USPA has not yet issued a statement, but reports suggest that more negotiations for the journalist’s compensation are in progress.