Journalist in 'bigging up player they have an EXCLUSIVE interview with later in the week' shocker...

Race is completely different to sexual preference... to be honest it's more offensive that you throw the two together as if abusing someone because of their origins is the same as taking the mickey out of somebody's personal life.

We've all said the abuse is wrong, but it is commonplace at all grounds, and for the RFL to single out Cas is both too easy and convenient

what on earth are your two pathetic brain cells doing telling you to say that?!

I was applauding in agreement that the fine is ridiculous; in acknowledgement of the fact that chants aimed at players (whether right or wrong and simply from a small minority) are part and parcel of just about any spectator sport; that the club have been made an example of due to being one the RFL would rather see out of Super League; and that the club are fully justified in making an appeal.

It in no way means that I condone homophobic or racist chanting, which is unacceptable, in the same way as fattist and questioning of parentage remarks are. Incidentally the latter occur week in week out and nothing is ever said about them. As usual it's one rule for one, and a different rule for another.

[iWe're discussing the homophobia story on 5live after 11[/i
George Riley again.

Surely that's more the intention than the consequence Stu. We, and the RL world in general are being primed for our exclusion from SL....bit like the Tories bigging up the national deficit to soften everybody up for draconian budgeting.

Gotta love the knee jerk flavour of the month decision by the RFL. A complete over reaction on every level.

The fact is, whilst the chanting is pretty unacceptable, I've yet to attend a live sporting event with impeccable behaviour by every supporter or those chanting en mass. Quite how the club is expected to negate any chanting after it has taken place is baffling.

No doubt the ridiculous amounts of Sport England money thrown at the RFL to encourage some futile equality and diversity policy will have a major bearing on this God like decision.

is it really?

Yes.

Really? Why?

so abusing someone because of their sexuality is ok in your book?

Which part of my OP did you choose to ignore?

It's wrong.

you claim its wrong, yet you claim the punishment is wrong

how would you have punished Castleford?

and disgusting

I agree with you.

Over reaction was the term.

How does a retrospective fine of 40k for fans chanting, which with the best will in the world can't be changed post event, suddenly enable them to turn back the clock?

A fine is not the answer. Criticise the club in the mass media by all means with as much vitriol as necessary. To dish out a fine is a complete over reaction for many of the reasons identified by other posters in this thread.

As I pointed out, the pious repost from the RFL is more to do with their funding streams than their upset via proxy on behalf of Stonewall or Gareth Thomas.

Disagree, the club could have controlled the fans, stewards and tannoy systems could have been used to give annoucements out

however dont you think the rfls fine also takes into account the disgusting scenes at the end of the Catalan home game last season?

I've rarely, if ever, seen an effective steward at a sports event where there have been firey issues. Why would they for £20 a day? In the same context, would said muppets listen to a tannoy announcement? Again, unlikely.

As for the Catalans game, most likely. In which case the RFL should have had the gumption to "call in" the debt and outline that accumulated behaviour is the actual reason behind the decision.

Is the behaviour of Tigers fans any worse than other SL clubs? Having visited them all, I would suggest not. What is clear is that the club won't put up any kind of resistance for fear of rebuking the license next year. Nice to see the governing body are able to effectively do as they please with the member clubs based on said fear.

the same way every club is punished every week for throwing abuse at players for anything, just because the player is gay why should he be exempt. Players were abused for race and nothing happened and players get called Paedo, Fat, W@nker. F****r every game and nothings happens.

I want to know if there had been an announcement would it have been ok and deemed dealt with? As im sure the stewards wouldnt have been able to shut up the 100's of fans doin it.

Massive over reaction by the RFL but then again they cant do anything right. I feel its their way of ousting Cas.

Isn't it up to the club to control its fans?

The tannoys were used to drowned out two of the 3 chants.

How can you control them all? Its not a prison, if they all decide to do something it gets done, no matter what the club does. When we go to Saints both sets of fans give the players loads and NOTHING is ever done, but neither club got a £40k fine.

Im not saying its right, but a level playing field would be nice, something the RFL never play on.

Whilst I am totally against discrimination of any kind, I am left wondering on one thing. The week after the game Gareth Thomas was involved in an inside sport programme where he talked about homophobia in sport and highlighted us, no doubt his was paid a nice tidy sum for this interview there was also his article from a column he writes in the press. After this article and interview were broadcast there have been no other mentions about the abuse this player has had to put up with at various games, which leaves me with the question why has only one club been singled out, am I being cynical and saying that money is the motivation behind this???? Why haven't other clubs been highlighted in the media etc.

Anyway to those idiots who deceided to once again put our club in a bad light I hope you have learned your lesson and if you can't keep your opinions to yourselves then for god sake stay away from our club, and if you have any sence of guilt I suggest that as you walk into the ground you go into the office and make a large donation to the club!

Well you know what to chant at him next time don't you "You straight barsteward, You straight barsteward"