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Three Argentine players are unable to play for the Olímpia Lions due to regulations. The three players are props Thomas Gallo and Jonathan Marchetta, and fly half Alejandro Torres.
A press release from the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) noted that the Paraguayan side had exceeded the established maximum number of Argentine players that the UAR permitted to play for a Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) side other than Los Ceibos.
The UAR’s statement explained that before the start of the SLAR player recruitment phase it was established that measures would be taken to protect amateur clubs in Argentina. This meant that there would be a maximum of four Argentine players permitted per teams other than Los Ceibos and that one player per Argentine club could play in the SLAR.
The Olímpia Lions contracted players that exceeded the above regulations. The Paraguayan franchise, nonetheless sought clearance to have the players on their roster and argued that Argentina would still be below the allocated numbers due to Brazil not contracting any athletes from Argentina.
Despite this, the ruling is to remain in place and therefore Gallo, Marchetta, and Torres will not be playing SLAR for the Olímpia Lions in the upcoming season which begins on March 06.
