The English rugby player Billy Vunipola is on his way home after he was arrested in Majorca at the weekend and after a short trial was fined for rebellion and resisting arrest.
The 31-year-old Vunipola appeared in court on Sunday after a scuffle at a bar in the island’s capital, Palma.
A police spokesperson confirmed that Vunipola was arrested after the incident and had already been released after the complaint against him had been settled.
The British club Saracens said in a statement that they are aware of an incident involving one of their players and will deal with the issue internally.
Vunipola also shared a statement on X that he was involved in a “misunderstanding” while leaving a club in Majorca on Sunday. The incident “got out of hand”, according to his statement.
He maintained that there was “no violence and no fight and that I did not threaten anyone at any stage – with bottles or chairs or anything else”.
A statement on behalf of Billy Vunipola.#YourSaracens???? pic.twitter.com/JvqiDAeiZh
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) April 29, 2024
According to Vunipola, he was charged with resisting the law and was fined €257 (about R5 100) after the short trial.
“The Spanish police’s investigation has now been completed and I am flying back to the UK today,” he said in a statement.
The Majorca-based newspaper Ultima Hora reported that police officers shot Vunipola twice with a Taser shock device and that eight police officers were needed to restrain him. The newspaper also shared a video showing a handcuffed Vunipola being escorted from a police vehicle to the court together with other men.
Vunipola is expected to bid farewell to Saracens at the end of this season and although there is speculation that he may settle in France, this has not yet been confirmed.
