Benetton's Cherif Traore accepts apology over rotten banana incident

Italy prop Cherif Traore has accepted an apology from Benetton team-mates after he was given a rotten banana during the club's Secret Santa.

Traore detailed the incident in a social media post that was subsequently deleted and then republished, revealing that the present from an anonymous colleague drew laughter from other squad members.

The United Rugby Championship club initially released a statement condemning racism but made no mention of an investigation in response to Traore's shocking disclosure.

However, all Benetton players were summoned to the training ground on Wednesday afternoon where they apologised to the Guinea-born 28-year-old and were addressed by club president Amerino Zatta.

"The meeting was an opportunity to discuss and understand how what one of my team-mates did when exchanging Christmas presents is purely the result of idiocy and nothing else," Traore said.

"I appreciate and accept his apology and that of the entire team. I'm happy with the gesture and I'm sure what happened will make the group even more solid.

"We are a family and as such we will continue to commit ourselves on and off the pitch, fighting, as we always have, against all forms of discrimination."

Traore, who emigrated to Italy from west Africa as a seven-year-old and has won 16 Italy caps, revealed that he was "hurt" by the reaction of his team-mates when he opened his present.

"Yesterday, when it was my turn, I found a banana inside my present. A rotten banana inside a bag of moisture," he said on the now-deleted Instagram post.

"Apart from calling the gesture offensive, what hurt me most was seeing most of my mates present laughing. As if everything is normal.

"I'm used to it. Or rather, I've had to get used to it, putting on a brave face whenever I hear racist jokes in order to try not to hate the people close to me. Yesterday was different though.

"Thankfully some comrades, especially foreigners, tried to support me. Outside Italy, a gesture like this is severely condemned even in small instances and this time I want to say my piece."

Zatta condemned an incident that has provoked outrage.

"I'm happy that Cherif accepted the apology, understanding the absurd stupidity of one of his team-mates," Zatta said.

"I am sure that this will strengthen the sense of cohesion within the group and that such a gesture will never happen again in our family."