Let's face it the big shock about this is the punishment which the RFL have deemed reasonable to issue. Personally I think that a £40K fine is well OTT, and could have been avoided!!

If senior executives of CAS...RW and other cronies had personally contacted GT to appologise, followed up by a written letter from the board of Directors and the Chairman of the supporters clubs stating an appology on behalf of the club. That would have been a good start on behalf of the club.

The club should then using any camera's at the ground, identify those who were doing the chanting, report them to the Police and press charges against them. Following which they should be named and shamed and publically banned from our ground. Details of our actions taken, and the identities of these fans should then be handed over to the RFL, and the RFL should then ban them from all rugby grounds (don't ask me how they would enforce all this!!).

GT should then be contacted once again by RW, to again appologise and to report how seriously we have taken this issue and the action that our club has instigated in response to this unacceptable behaviour and that we will be vigilant in trying to prevent occuring again in outr game.

......If we had been pro-active in managing this situation we could have a) Dealt with it in such a manner that could have avoided it leading to a potential fine....and b) Turned this into a very positive situation for the future of the club, about how we will not tollerate this type of behaviour.

Once again RW and others at the club have absolutely no idea about running a business!! What a joke!!!

Maybe he felt this was the worst abuse he'e suffered? I'm sure that Thomas has no personal agenda against Cas, why would he? I imagine that, for whatever reason, he felt that the abuse he suffered at Cas was worse than anywhere else. There are a variety of reasons why that might have been, not least that maybe the abuse levelled at him at Cas was worse than anywhere else.

This is a large fine no doubt, and it might create some future problems for Cas but in terms of staying in SL, you probably have bigger problems.

I welcome yesterday's announcement, the protection of our LGBT players and support is important. Remembering that there will be a number of LGBT fans in any given crowd, and it is the ones shouting homophobic abuse that should be unwelcome at our grounds rather than any LGBT fans.

Hopefully now clubs will know that this type of thing will not be tolerated by the RFL and act on it when it arises and not when forced to after the fact.

Sexuality essentially boils down to which orifices you choose to stick your reproductive organ into. Race is pretty much down to where your dad was when he made his choice. So one's a conscious personal choice, the other isn't.

And no, I'm not saying that berating or deriding others for the personal choices they make is a particularly attractive trait of humanity, but it IS a part of all of us. For the most part, people seem to accept that and develop the strength of character to rise above such remarks. "Sticks and stones may break my bones..." etc.

As has been pointed out by many, many others on this thread, people who choose to put down others because they're perceived to be 'not of a certain norm' - be that race, gender preference, hair colour, physique, whatever - are by no means exclusive to Castleford. It goes on at every Rugby ground (both codes) and at every other event drawing a large enough crowd too.

But it seems to me that focusing on the issue of 'whether calling someone a puff is right or wrong' is sidestepping the real debate. Is a £40k fine on the club fair and proportionate for what occurred, based on the measures the club could have taken to prevent it? I would suggest it ISN'T fair and proportionate. I would suggest that the club did all it could have been reasonably expected to do. And I can only conclude that someone somewhere is deliberately using this incident to try and undermine my Rugby club.

One is how someone looks, one is how they act.

EDIT: Or what Disco said...

Both are who or what someone [iis[/i.

Gareth Thomas didn't choose to be gay any more than any non-white player had a say in the colour of their skin.

So I suppose you'll be expecting the clubs whose fans refer to James Graham's ginger hair in a derogatory manner to get a £40k fine then?

Do the white players get to choose then?

Did I say that they did? No, no I didn't. But more on the point, what relevance is that?

No one is being murdered, persecuted, or generally discriminated against for being white or having ginger hair.

Unfortunately for Cas at this moment it is a hate crime to abuse someone based on their sexuality, the RFL have deemed it unacceptable to allow this to go on in a SL ground, not sure what complaints you have really. Or should illegal activity be condoned on our terraces as long as no one is [ireally getting hurt[/i?

What was actually sung at Gareth and how bad was it? the fine does seem very excessive, i think Castleford are unlucky in that the 1st clubs fans that gave Gareth any stick the RFL were always going to clamp down and make an example to nip it in the bud. I do think this fine will do the trick even though i never expected it to be this much. I did hear an interview with him where he says he would challenge any abuse he gets to make it easier in the future for people to play the game who are homosexual, perhaps he can be applauded for that, 1 club was always going to bear the brunt and im afraid its Cas

I believe it went along the lines of "Gareth Thomas takes it up the arris!". It's not half as bad as some sections are making out. All this has happened because he mentioned it on the BBC.

You seemed to imply that only 'non-white' people are unfortunate enough to be lumbered with their skin colour. Personally I find the view that a mere skin tone carries with it some level of good fortune to be pretty racist, but I'm sure that's not what you meant.

You're also on the wrong board for claiming nobody gets persecuted for having ginger hair by the way. For some reason there are people who seem to think everyone in Cas is a 'ginner' - or for that matter a 'banjo playing hick' or a 'country bumpkin'. Still, it's lucky we don't all complain really isn't it...? By and large, we cut out the 'jewish' references towards Leeds fans years ago. Shame it doesn't work both ways really.

As for what my complaint is, please read my previous post and then tell me, specifically, what the Cas club could have done with respect to this incident but didn't, which justifies a £40k fine.

Also, is calling someone names is actually 'illegal' now? F**k me stiff...

Nothing was chanted or sang. I was at the game and it wasn't like the whole stand sang songs about him. Some individuals shouted somethings at him but it's been made out like an entire section of fans chanted things. They didn't.

Having been at this game in question I'm gobsmacked by the RFL. I've heard a lot worse being sang by our fans and away fans before and nothing has been said by the RFL. At the weekend chants of 'the ref is a ******', was sang by a set of fans on was clearly heard on Sky, has anything been said about that to the club involved?????

You're the only ones I've ever heard claim to have Hitler in their fan base! Time to make the massive leap into the 2010's. FWIW I thought the fine was excessive and perhaps another suspension may be in order but if the numpties step out of line again and cost you a franchise then I doubt many will have much sympathy which would be a shame as I like going to WR.

I was also at the game and whilst it was'nt the whole terrace, it was a chant by enough people to be clearly heard by my wife, son and self from the half way line. I can understand questions over the level of fine (which I understand is 20k for this and the suspended 20k from the Cats incident) What I cannot fathom is people who seem to think that because this has happened before it shouldn't be tackled.

Who thinks that? Of course it should be tackled, or rather it [ishould have been tackled already[/i. The bone of contention is that such behavior is widespread through the game - there should be precedents - but only when it happens at Cas do the punitive fines come out (and this at a time when we need every cent to put into our new stadium and ensure our SL survival... Coincidence?).

I understand that previous instances of abuse has gone unpunished and Cas are the first to get punished but if there isn't a first we just keep accepting it. When and what do you suggest the RFL should do to show enough is enough?

I was at the game, stood 15 yards to the right of the group.
They sang 2 songs, not lasting more than 30 sconds for both songs.

The first one made me cringe, though imo it wasn't sang that loud and i didnt imgine cry baby would have heard it at all. He was down the other end of the field.
The second one was more light hearted and tbh did make me smile ''we can see you holding hands''......just a bit of lighthearted banter, well thats how i saw it.


40 grand for a 30 second chant

Oh I dunno... set the precedent with a richer club maybe? One that doesn't need a new ground because it already has a nice one or maybe shares with a football team or a cricket club? No. Let's p*ss on Castleford instead... again.

Thats exactly how it seems.

So the first one made you cringe and it wasn't even aimed at you and you call him a cry baby!!

One question for you ..... do you think it was wrong of Gareth Thomas (or anyone else at the match) to take offence at the chanting?

you said it was a shame Crusaders didnt play ourselves or Salford first then we would have incurred the fine and not Cas.I am amazed that seemingly sensible Cas posters including mods think that people are gay through choice! Some of the opinions expressed on here are a throwback to the 1950's!

No. But it's unbelievably naive of him (or anyone else) to expect he'll never have to suffer anything like that, especially after 'coming out' into the 'rough, tough' world of Rugby (either code).

Like i said the first chant made me cringe, bit below the belt if you as me.

The second one was more light hearted IMO.
Maybe i'm more relaxed with lighthearted chants.
Some other people probably arnt, we are all different and have different opinions.

If someone in the street sang both songs to me i'd just put my 2 fingers up at them and walk away.....but thats me.

Sorry but you've answered how you would react and not what I asked. Does Gareth Thomas have a right to offended at the chanting? Yes or No.