The chanting about homosexual rape however, is as it has overtones.

overtones of what? that homosexual rape is a bad thing? im sure most homosexuals are quite comfortable with that as a statement

I thought that was our official motto bonzo

Sod them though bonzo, the ones having a go at cas on this thread are the ones that are always making digs at cas and there agenda is very clear for all to see.

I remember hearing loads of rascist chanting at other grounds over the years, not by the majority but by small groups of idiots, cant recall one fine ever being handed out, i'm sure if there ever is one the rfl will wait until they can give it to cas though.

Dont agree with homophobic chanting at all, like most cas fans, in fact it was the majority of the cas fans that stopped the chanting along with it being drowned out by the PA system.

In one of his earlier interviews on the subject (and there have been quite a few) thomas mentioned that he he had suffered the same at another ground after ours, will that club also be receiving a hefty fine i wonder?

Are you suggesting that chants relating to voluntary homosexual behaviour are in some way more offensive than chants relating to involuntary homosexual rape?

Anyway, the RFL might be being just a little bit precious on this subject but I think that is better than understating the case.

well done RFL

great decision, lets stamp it out

I do not and never will condone discrimination or abusive behaviours in any circumstance.

However I cannot view the RFL's actions as anything ther than an overreaction 20 years too late and motivated by reasons other than antisocial behaviour. Had this behaviour not received the media attention it did, I doubt there would have been any action at all.

It may also be worth noting that as there have been no other incidents reported this season regarding such behaviour, is it not safe to therefore assume that we as a sport do not have an issue with homophobia or indeed racism (this was not always the case).

I believe the sport would have been better served by its governing body had it publically drawn attention to the fact that this was clearly an isolated incident and was being treated as such. Such a punishment, by its size relative to the sports finances, indicates that there is a precedent being set to discourage a behaviour that simply isn't present in the sport. The positive, zero tolerance message the RFL no doubt intended has failed, like so many of its iniatives, and has left the media and those outside RL with a lingering suspicion of a more serious problem.

Personally, I say well done RFL, though I do think the fine is a little harsh. Having said that though it is on the back of a previous fine relating the Catalans match. If the homophobic chants were a one off incident with Cas fans I would expect the fine to be lower.

There have been various campaigns in the past in various sports which aimed to rid it of racism. Its about time that sports stood up to homophobia and for that reason I applaud the RFL. Ok, clubs can't monitor all chants,it is a tricky situation sometimes. But, I'm sure there's a big difference between fans chanting about Barrie MacDermott's belly or Willie Poaching being too old to be running on the pitch to identifying black players and performing monkey dances or identifying gay players and chanting at them.

Yes, Alf has said that he can take these comments on the chin, but that doesn't mean we should sweep the issue under the carpet. I wouldn't say he's whinging to the media. I think he's taken on a very brave and respectable role of standing up, saying who he is, identifying what is wrong in the cultures of sports and is trying to create a morecompassionate and understanding environment for younger players to feel comfortable about themselves.

If there is anyone who thinks that the RFL is wrong to take any form of action and in wider society we shouldn't haveto stand up to homophobia I strongly suggest you read up on the footballer Justin Fashanu.

quick question


As some of you think the fine is wrong, how would you have punished Castleford?

Game behind closed doors
Less of a harsh fine
Final warning
2 point deduction

a less of a harsh fine...yet play a game behind closed doors?

Rather than fine the club, they could/should have enacted a levy on the price of Cas tickets until a predetermined amount was reached. That way at least they're fining those responsible and would encourage both those taking part to desist and those not taking part to dissuade those that do.

Bonzo, I don't disagree with you at all. I think Cas have been picked out when others offend in much the same way. However, they'd already upset the RFL and I reckon they were made an an example so RFL can come down heavy on next team too.

It is unfortunate that Cas will get the grief from a lot of holier than thou types but that's just until the next club does something.

A letter about their ' Tackling tecnique '

A much smaller fine than that! 10K would be harsh but 40K is just stupid.
As the guilty dozen or so were all school kids wouldn't it be better to find out who they are, ban them and then make the club work with the local schools in the area to educate the kids on things like this.

Make the club pay for a workshop or something for the schools like they had to educate them about bullying. Whats the point in issuing a fine and the idiots who chanted get away with it and learn nothing!

Obviously. (As all southerners are gay, aren't they?)