Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann and his son, Ruan, have been implicated in a nightclub brawl that left a man with facial injuries and is now being investigated by police.
A man has been treated at hospital for head and facial injuries after being involved in a fight at the 21 Club in Cheltenham on Sunday morning, hours after Gloucester beat Zebre 69-12 in the European Challenge Cup.
Both Johan Ackermann and his son, who joined Gloucester in the summer and was named last month’s Premiership player of the month, have been accused of being part of the brawl along with another unnamed individual by the victim’s sister, Katie Allen, on Instagram.
Miss Allen posted two images on Instagram to her 24,000 followers referencing the alleged incident, the first displaying a picture of Johan Ackermann and the second showing the injuries that her brother, Harry Allen, suffered.
She wrote in the caption: “The attack was completely unprovoked.
“He is currently in A&E having an X-Ray on his face, and a CT on his head as there is a concern of a[n] internal bleed.”
Police issued a statement to confirm that an investigation into the incident had been launched, and said that no arrests have been made at this time.
“Gloucestershire Constabulary is investigating a report of an incident which happened at the 21 Club in Regent Street, Cheltenham in the early hours of Sunday morning, 17 December,” a police statement read.
“The allegation is that there was an altercation between two groups of men during which one of the men sustained facial injuries. The incident was reported just before 1.30am. Police officers arrived shortly afterwards but all those involved had left the scene.
“Investigating officers will be examining CCTV footage this week and speaking to witnesses. No-one has been arrested.
“Anyone with information is asked to call Gloucestershire Constabulary on 101 or email 101gloucestershire.police.uk quoting incident 51 of 17 December.”
The complaints have also been made directly to the club, and a spokesman for the Premiership outfit said: “Gloucester Rugby are aware of the allegations. The club cannot make any further comment at this stage.”
- More about:
- Gloucester Rugby
- Aviva Premiership
- Premiership Rugby
- Johan Ackermann
- Ruan Ackermann
- European Challenge Cup
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