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.

=#8000FFIt depends which chants he heard, I only heard one, and that was the holding hands chant at the time Crusaders were at the WRE, so he would have heard that one,
I did not hear any other chants GT himself was attacking the Railway end with the team, he was the closest player on the pitch to my location when according to another account the offensive of the 2 chants were going on, so there is no way he would have heard it, it doesn't make it right but he also cannot complain about something he didn't hear, right?

let's get real here folks,how will the rfl be able to defend it's decision in awarding cas a £40,000 fine?
Would this ever stand up in a court of law?
what was chanted at that game was clearly wrong,but what could the castleford club possibly have done to prevent those clearly "biggoted fans" from chanting such homophobic bile?
i hope that common sense prevails here,and that the culprits are named and shamed and are banned from all sl grounds indefinately,that would solve the problem,fining cas £40,000 wouldnt,as they would shout the self same thing next season!

Depends on his out look on life. Maybe his coming out was still raw and he found it hard how to react to people making fun of it in 2 chants at a RL game.
Obviously he did take offence, other wise we wouldn't be talking about it now and cas would be 40 grand richer.

=#8000FFNo, any lawyer worth his salt would just put on a Sky game in court and say listen to the abuse that goes on at EVERY club, homophobic or not, abuse is abuse and it would be thrown out like a shot (especially if they showed the Wire fans chanting about the shower habits of convicts to Leon Pryce)

exactly,so i hope that the club receive the required evidence to ban these morons once and for all,then we will see what further action is deemed necessary by the rfl!
Lets be honest here,the cas club has been judged by a minority of imbeciles
does that warrant fining the club?

What are you talking about? Anyone has a right to take offence about absolutely anything they want. People take offence to all sorts of things all the time - there's no law against taking offence to things. I answered your original question but this embellishment is just stupid.

Why don't you respond to my assertion instead. Do you think it's naive of Gareth Thomas to immerse himself in Rugby and never, ever expect to hear any comment about his sexuality. And before you answer that you might like to consider what he himself said when he 'came out' in the Mail:

=#FF4000[iIt is the toughest, most macho of male sports, and with that comes an image. In many ways, it is barbaric, and I could never have come out without first establishing myself and earning respect as a player. Rugby was my passion, my whole life, and I wasn't prepared to risk losing everything I loved.[/i

[url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1237035/British-Lions-rugby-legend-Gareth-Thomas-Its-ended-marriage-nearly-driven-suicide-Now-time-tell-world-truth--Im-gay.htmlHere[/url

well said buddy, like I said I think Cas were hard done to as everyone has always done this but Cas get grief

Huh? Bearing in mid the question was directed at Poppy (which incidentally she answered) what are you on about?

I'm sure if these had been racist chants directed at a black player there wouldn't be nine pages discussing this or the level of the fine. What other sports do is their business i.e. the FIFA situation. We should be thankful that our sport is willing to make a stand against discrimination in such a positive manner. As a minority sport which believes it has been discriminated against by the establishment I think we should all be able to recognise how important it is for us to fight issues of equality. Our sport has a rich heritage in issues of race at international level compared to the other big British sports i.e. football (first black player capped in 197icon_cool.gif, RU (first black player capped in 1906 but no other played for another 82 years), Cricket (first black international 1980). We should be proud that our sport takes matters of discrimination very seriously especially when others, like FIFA, obviously don't.

Hmm.. ok.

Imho the correct decision by the RFL

How any Cas fan can defend that sort of behaviour is beyond me and to think that the RFL has something against us is ridiculous.

Everyone at the club from the CEO to the fans is aware of the problems we've had and the trouble and speculation the club has come under because of crowd problems. Is it any suprise that with our record we weren't let off?

I hope the people in question are ashamed of their behaviour, it's just a shame that the club can't identify them and ban them for life, or at least make them pay some of the fine. After all it's their fault we got it in the first place