Saracens fined for fielding ineligible player in Champions Cup game against Racing 92

Saracens have been dealt another blow in the ongoing season as EPCR have fined them with €50,000 for fielding an ineligible player.

The Allianz Park outfit had named Titi Lamositele in their replacement list during last month's Champions Cup win over Racing 92 which helped them reach the quarter-finals. However, it is understood that the USA international's work permit expired a day before the encounter.

As a result, Saracens attended a disciplinary hearing in London but the panel accepted the club's defence that they were was not aware that Lamositele's work permit had expired and they did not intend to gain any advantage from the player as he came off the bench in the final quarter.

The independent disciplinary committee handed a fine of €50,000 for the negligence of the club with half of it suspended until the end of the 2020/21 season.

"Following careful consideration of a complaint involving a player who has been contracted to Saracens since 2014, and who remains contracted to the club, the committee believes that this was an unfortunate sequence of events brought about by an administrative oversight," told Chair of the independent disciplinary committee Roger Morris.

"However, Saracens are in breach of the disciplinary rules of the Heineken Champions Cup, and that breach constitutes misconduct which can be proportionately dealt with by way of a financial penalty."

Earlier, EPCR had fined Saracens an undisclosed amount after they failed to send any of their representative for the tournament launch while they were also fined £5.36m by Premiership Rugby and were sanctioned automatic relegation at the end of the ongoing season for breaches in salary cap.