Monday 4 November 2019 16:50, UK
St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus has been fined for criticising the appointment and performance of referee Robert Hicks at this year's Challenge Cup final.
McManus has been fined £3,000, of which £1,000 is suspended until the end of the 2020 season, for the outspoken comments he made in the wake of his club's shock 18-4 defeat by Warrington Wolves at Wembley in August.
The Rugby Football League say the fine is consistent with previous decisions made in comparable circumstances and that the punishment was reached "by way of an agreed decision in accordance with RFL processes."
McManus used his notes in the programme for his club's subsequent Super League match to launch a blistering attack on Hicks, who failed to go to the video referee after disallowing an early try by Morgan Knowles.
He also brought up whether match officials should use social media after pointing to the brokering of a meeting by Warrington chief executive Karl Fitpatrick between Hicks and a Wolves supporter who had issued him with a death threat on Twitter. McManus described it as a "stunt", questioning how this could be allowed to happen before a Cup final.
A statement from the RFL said: "Mr McManus accepts that his comments breached the Operational Rules and accepts the sanction."
Karen Moorhouse, the RFL's chief regulatory officer, said: "Match officials are hardworking, impartial, and deserving of respect and support. Theirs is a difficult job and without them there is no game.
"Through the 'Enjoy the Game' campaign we encourage professional clubs to set an example for the rest of the sport, to support the recruitment and retention of match officials and to promote the mental and physical well-being of match officials alongside that of players and coaches.
"We will be working with clubs to reinforce the importance of the 'Enjoy the Game' campaign during the off-season."
