Benetton's latest win over national rival Zebre Parma in the United Rugby Championship should have been a moment of celebration. Instead, the 38-5 victory was marred by the racism scandal that has engulfed the Italian club over the past week.

It all began when Cherif Traore took to social media to reveal one of his teammates had given him a secret Santa gift, which included a rotten banana.

Traore, who migrated to Italy from west Africa at the age of 7, was hurt by the gesture and offended by the reaction of the wider dressing room.

"What hurt me most was seeing most of my mates present laughing," Traore wrote in his Instagram post. "As if everything is normal." 

Immediately after the post was made public, the Treviso-based club released a statement condemning what had taken place.

In addition, all Benetton players were called in Wednesday for a squad meeting to apologize to the 28-year-old. 

Club president Amerino Zatta also was present and addressed the players directly about what had transpired. 

Despite the prevalence of the racism scandal, Traore was named as a starter for Benetton's fixture Saturday afternoon, which proved a lot easier to navigate. 

An early try from playmaker Tomas Albornoz set the wheels in motion for the home side, before brothers Niccolo and Lorenzo Cannone crossed over to extend the lead to 19-0 at the break.

A yellow card saw Zebre reduced to 14 men early in the second period, and Benetton took full advantage, securing a bonus point with a try from Rhyno Smith.

#BENvZEB | 📸 MATCH GALLERY#WeAreLions #BenettonRugby pic.twitter.com/0UPSe6ZzCV

— Benetton Rugby 🦁 (@BenettonRugby) December 25, 2022

Two more scores from Giacomo Nicotera and Riccardo Favretto capped off a successful afternoon at the Stadio Monigo, though nothing could divert attention from the racism scandal, which has quickly become a huge talking point right across the sport.  

England lock Maro Itoje was one of many who publicly denounced the racist incident, taking to Twitter to write: "Sending love and support to Cherif Traore! No one should receive racist abuse!! It's hard to fathom that this story actually happened. Shows us there's still work to do!"

Indeed, the lukewarm reaction of the club was hugely criticized and sparked action from other organizations. 

The URC was the first to intervene, claiming it wanted a full investigation to be undertaken to uncover the details behind what actually happened.

Amongst all of this, the guilty player in question remained unnamed. Traore refused to reveal his identity, but there have been steps made to confront his actions.

Following the intervention of the URC, the matter intensified when the Federation of Italian Rugby announced a federal prosecutor had opened up a legal investigation into the incident, and that Benetton had suspended the guilty player.

In an official statement, the FIR affirmed its opposition to racism across all levels of the sport and called for widespread cultural change in Italy.

"The Italian Rugby Federation and Benetton Rugby, in the aftermath of the affair involving some of the members of the club, wish to reiterate their firm condemnation of all forms of racism and discrimination, which have not, and must not, have any place within the Italian rugby movement, sport and civil society," the statement read.

"The FIR informs that the federal prosecutor has launched the investigations necessary to ascertain the facts, as well as the collective and individual responsibilities, to protect the founding values and reputation of the game. Benetton Rugby has simultaneously decided to suspend one of its members, as a precaution, for the entire duration of the investigations by the public prosecutor's office.

"It will be the exclusive competence of the federal justice bodies, based on the results of the investigations, to impose any sporting or administrative sanctions, in total autonomy and without the interference of any kind by bodies external to the FIR justice."

The statement also revealed officials from Zebre were consulted on how best to tackle racism in Italian rugby. At the forefront of their plans is a desire to raise awareness and improve the level of inclusion in the sport.

There may be further measures introduced, but nothing concrete will be announced until the federal prosecutor's investigation has been finalized. 

Written by Stefan Frost