Former Ireland international rugby player Trevor Brennan has claimed his altercation with an Ulster fan during his club's European Cup game in Toulouse on Sunday was sparked by spectators insulting his mother.
In a statement last night to The Irish Times, Brennan emphasised that the chants directed at him were not sectarian, adding that Ulster players were "a pleasure to be around".
The trouble began after he was preparing to enter the match. "Just after half-time, my coach Guy Noves asked me to warm up, which I started to do behind the try line of Ulster," his statement indicated.
The Toulouse player said he stepped into the crowd after Ulster fans began chanting that his mother was a "whore". "At this stage, I approached this group, who threw beer at me. Some supporters told me not to pay attention to what they were saying. One said: 'I'm sure your mother is not like that'."
He said he regretted what had hap- pened. "I regret this incident happened, I didn't initiate or provoke it, it was the last thing I would have wished for."
BBC Northern Ireland journalist Julian Fowler said yesterday he was an eyewitness to the event. He said a number of fans had made disparaging comments about Brennan's pub. "A number of the Ulster supporters started to chant, 'your pub's a load of rubbish', he said. " 'Rubbish' wasn't exactly the word they used but it wasn't that much more offensive that that," said the BBC journalist.
Statements were also released by the tournament organisers, the European Rugby Cup (ERC) and Ulster Rugby. The ERC said it would initiate an investigation, while Ulster roundly condemned the player's actions.