Tigers see chant fine halved

Thomas: Subjected to chants

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Castleford's £40,000 fine for misconduct has been halved by a Rugby Football League appeals tribunal.

The fine was handed down following homophobic chants levelled by the Tigers' fans at Crusaders' openly gay winger Gareth Thomas during his second Super League appearance for the club in March.

The RFL also ordered Castleford to forfeit the £20,000 suspended from a fine imposed in September 2009 after plastic bottles were thrown onto the pitch and match officials were abused and harassed by fans at the end of a home match against Catalans Dragons.

However, at an appeals hearing this week, the £40,000 fine for misconduct relating to the homophobic chanting was reduced to £20,000.

The tribunal also ruled that the £20,000 suspended last year should remain suspended until the end of the 2012 season.

Castleford chief executive Richard Wright welcomed the ruling and said his club have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to misbehaviour by their fans.

"Castleford Tigers in no way condone abusive chanting or behaviour and we accept the outcome of the appeals tribunal," he said.

"The RFL have sent a clear message to us, and all of the clubs, that inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated.

"Further to this, our fans have urged us to take a strong stance on inappropriate behaviour and chanting via focus groups and communication.

"We will be taking a no-tolerance approach and will issue anyone who is found indulging in such behaviour with lengthy bans.

"We also aim to expand our well-established match-day procedures and continue to pro-actively promote the sport's family values in a successful manner."