The dinner ended in drunkenness and aggression. Fijian player Masivesi Dakuwaqa faces a charge that could lead to jail time for biting his teammate Pierre Pagès in the face after a late-night gathering of Biarritz Olympique players during the break in the French ProD2 league, the country's second division.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday, January 31, when most of the group had left after dining at a venue in Anglet, leaving only a few players behind. According to information from the Sud-Ouest newspaper, a confrontation took place in which Pagès intervened to call for calm.
The club's statement issued the following morning, as cited by the French media, confirmed that the assault "occurred while a second player was trying to calm the situation." Following an internal investigation, in a second statement, Biarritz Olympique announced on February 10 that "the accusations against Masivesi Dakuwaqa have made it impossible to continue his association with the club."
"I would like to apologize", expressed Fijian Dakuwaqa, 1.90 meters tall and weighing 122 kilograms, in an interview with L'Equipe days later, stating that he did not remember anything due to excessive alcohol consumption and expressing his complete remorse for biting his teammate. He was in the first year of his three-year contract.
According to the information from this media outlet, the Fijian became aggressive after several teammates advised him not to drive because he had been drinking. During the argument, he allegedly broke a car window, and when Pagès approached to calm him down, the bite occurred. The victim had to be taken to a hospital in Bayonne where he received 20 stitches.
After the emergency teams arrived, the Police took Dakuwaqa, who was drunk and very agitated. In a few months, he will face the charge of aggravated assault due to high alcohol consumption in court, which could result in a jail sentence.