Giovanni Licata banned for three games following red card

The Disciplinary process related to Giovanni Licata Red Card in the BKT United Rugby Championship Round 1 game against Edinburgh Rugby on Saturday, September 27 has resulted in a three game suspension.

After an act of foul play by Zebre Parma player No 8 (Giovanni Licata), referee Ben Whitehouse showed the Player a Yellow Card which was upgraded to a 20 minute Red Card in the 15th minute of the game under Law 9.13 – A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.

In the Player’s responses to the Judicial Officer overseeing the disciplinary process (Ben Rutherford), he accepted that he committed an act of foul play which warranted a Red Card. Mr. Rutherford found that the incident met the Red Card threshold, with an entry point of mid-range (six weeks). The Player received 3 weeks (50%) mitigation due to his good record, remorse and apology and exemplary conduct throughout the disciplinary process which results in a three game suspension.

Should the Player complete the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme then the sanction will be reduced by one week.

Fixtures Giovanni Licata is unavailable for:

Zebre Parma v Lions, 5 October 2025, BKT URC

Ospreys v Zebre Parma, 11 October 2025, BKT URC

*Zebre Parma v DHL Stormers, 18 October 2025, BKT URC