for homophobic chants at Gareth Thomas.
[urlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/10/06/29/RUGBYL_Castleford.html[/url

I think that's quite harsh on the club itself, but I suppose there's no other way of combating it.

Fair or not, they should fustration towards their own supporters and not the RFL.

Agreed. The supporters caused this with their own actions.

Visiting Castleford back in the days when we had Ellery Hanley and Henderson Gill in our ranks was a special experience indeed.

This story doesn't surprise me at all.

True, but according to the statement, the club did nothing to stop it, and haven't done anything about finding the culprits.

In that case the club can't have any real grounds for objection then IMO. For a club in this day and age to not take any action (which looks like they're trying to avoid the issue entirely) on something like this is poor.

If this is true, it's pathetic.

Castleford were pretty proactive with the loudspeakers when it came to whipping up frenzied hatred against Wigan under 18s, but suddenly they're incapable of using them to stop racist chanting?

No wonder they got fined.

Cas to appeal - [url=http://castleford.dyndns.org/article.php?id=867=#FF0000castleford.dyndns.org/article.php?id=867[/url

This genuinely isn't a dig, but it seems funny the RFL ignore fans throwing lunchboxes, beer etc at players, but fine clubs £40k for their fans' chanting?

No excuse for Cas though, no place in the game and a deserved fine - although I doubt it will stop the cretins doing the same thing again.

That's the key part I presume - if true the Cas club have nobody to blame but themselves.

No, be honest, it clearly is a dig!

Are you seriously suggesting that throwing an empty plastic bottle is worse than Racist or homophobic chanting??

You're right, throwing things at players is equally indefinsible, but it has taken the RFL 3 months to fine Cas if the incident was in March. God only knows what's going on inside Red Hall now!

Good, we seem to have done a great job at stamping out racism in the stands, let's not take a soft stance on homaphobia either.

If I were Cas I'd put £1 on the price of a ticket until £40,000 was raised, then take it off again. It's the fans who are responsible but the club who takes it in the neck. I know this isn't even remotely fair on fans who weren't chanting and would make the directors incredibly unpopular but this 'redneck tax' would certainly make people think.

Very true.

What goes around, comes around

Well if that's true they can do little else now really. If banning orders are issued, they need to publicise what they're doing widely.

I would have to say - Unreservedly - YES !!!!!

One is a hurtful bout of name-calling (albeit an extremely distasteful one that the stewards should have stamped on.

The other is a physical attack, whether the bottle is empty or not.

I think you need to re-evaluate your idea of which is worse.

As do you imo, the chanting is clearly worse.

Another reason why Cas shouldnt be in the next franchise and Widnes/Leigh/Halifax should take their place.

How many professional sportsmen and women have had the guts to come out? How many have had the guts in Rugby League? There are surely many other gay and bi sexual men playing in super league who may want to be honest about their sexuality but don't want the extra attention and possibility of abuse. How are they going to feel seeing how Gareth Thomas has been treated by a certain minority of idiots? He was brave enough to be open about his life and try and set the example.

Maybe certain Castleford fans should think about this when they are bemoaning that the club could not do anything or it was actually Thomas' fault! (see Castleford boards)

That would be worse than allowing Castleford in.

=#8000FFYeah replace a team with 15 fans who will all be banned in the next couple of weeks with a team with no fans/a team with racist fans/a team with no fans...good call

For me its just another reason why your club isnt worthy of a spot in the franchise. Maybe if you get a ground then you can be considered, but incidents like this are just making the job of the RFL a whole lot easier.

=#8000FFThe RFL are looking for the excuses and making an example of Cas though, the fine against Catalan came after the RFL did nothing when a Salford fan threw a flare at Richard Owen, that's worse then a couple of bottles.

And on the ground front, that will be started shortly, in a far more advanced position then Wakefield.