University of Nottingham’s football club (UoNFC) has been banned from Varsity after ‘initiation style behaviour’.
The incidents were said to have taken place in October 2014, and after evidence surfaced the Student Union ruled that the team had broken part of the Code of Conduct.
The code includes clauses that state a club must hold ‘ethical and non degrading’ social events and ‘should not use initiation events’.
The decision means that the team as a whole and individual members are ineligible for the Varsity fixture and could face further sanctions such as removal from positions.
The men’s third team captain was removed from his position with immediate effect and the President had his removal suspended until March 31.
He will remain in the role as long as he doesn’t breach the Code of Conduct in the future and follows the sanctions put in place.
Despite the Varsity fixture affected, the event will still go ahead but the squad will be made up of players from the Intra-Mural Sports (IMS) leagues.
A Student Union statement said: “The SU would like to make it clear that it takes reports such as this seriously and follows a consistent disciplinary procedure to prevent this from happening.”
Further sanctions include ten hours of community service which needs to be completed by May 15 and can be done through supporting IMS events or working with the Student Volunteer Centre. There is also a suspended fine of £1,500.
