The Fijian player who lifted a referee in celebration and got red carded for it has now been suspended. Josaia Raisuqe has been made an example of, showing everyone around the world that while his actions were comical to most, you simply can't touch the referee, or lift him like the Lion King.
The former Fiji Sevens player was playing in a French second division match when a crucial decision was made at the final whistle.
In response to the call going his team's way for a 30-25 win, Raisuqe lifted referee Laurent Milotte in celebration, but the mood quickly changed, as he was red carded just seconds later.
"At the end of the match, the first person I saw was the referee and I lifted him up," Raisuqe told Midi Olympique newspaper.
"It was awkward, but I didn't want to hurt him! I was just happy. My phone kept ringing. It was unbearable," adding that he was "afraid of losing my job".
BANNED
The big winger, who used to play for Stade Francais, faced a disciplinary hearing last night, and has subsequently been banned for five weeks.
The LNR committee charged him with disrespecting the authority of an official as well as 'action against a game official'.
"I spoke to him after the match. He's a kid in his head," the Nevers coach Xavier Pemeja said after the incident. "He has to realise the stupidity he's done. I understand that it can make you laugh, but it doesn't make me laugh."
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