Canterbury have been branded ‘hypocrites’ after it was revealed on Monday that the footy club has complained to the NRL about several unsavoury gestures that Wests Tigers players made to Bulldogs supporters on Sunday afternoon.
A week after their 34-point drubbing by Penrith, Benji Marshall’s side stunned the high-flying Bulldogs at a rain-soaked CommBank Stadium, with Jeral Skelton crossing the tryline twice to help his side seal a huge 28-14 win.
However, the result has been soured by controversy after it was revealed that the NRL’s Integrity Unit is now investigating the behaviour of multiple Tigers players who made an apparent offensive gesture with their hands towards Bulldogs fans, as they celebrated Samuela Fainu’s try in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Jarome Luai had popped off a pass to Fainu, who bounced off multiple Canterbury defenders, before crashing over for his side’s fifth and final try of the game. His team-mates quickly surrounded him to celebrate, but fans noticed that both Fainu and centre Brent Naden had appeared to show Doggies fans a symbol with their hands, which is known as ‘the Khod’ or a ‘Khawd’.
The gesture is performed by lowering the middle finger down towards one’s palm. In Arabic, Lebanese and some other communities, the gesture is considered to be similar to flipping one’s middle finger up at another person.
The phrase ‘Khod’ itself has several meanings. In Arabic, its literal meaning is ‘take’ and some use the gesture along with the phrase to say ‘take this’.
Canterbury fans have been branded ‘hypocrites’ after this image of several fans appearing to perform a ‘khod’ gesture was published online. It came after the Bulldogs had complained to the NRL over gestures Wests Tigers players had made to the club’s supporters on Sunday
Pictured: Tigers star Samuela Fainu (right) directs the ‘khod’ hand gesture at Bulldogs fans, which is roughly the same as giving them the middle finger
The Bulldogs have asked the NRL’s Integrity Unit to investigate the actions of the Wests Tigers players, after Brent Naden (right) was also seen showing the ‘khod’ symbol
‘What Naden did is the Lebanese version of the middle finger,’ one wrote on social media.
A TikTok of Naden performing the ‘Khod’ after the match has also gone viral. According to AAP, the footy player, 29, had sent a video of himself performing the ‘Khod’ to a friend. The clip was later leaked on social media. During the video, Naden is overheard saying: ‘F***ing Dogs.’
Canterbury officials have now contacted the Tigers over the incident, which has left fans divided online, with some branding it a ‘disgrace’.
Others on social media hit back at the Bulldogs and their supporters for complaining about the flashpoint.
They reposted an image of a group of a group of Canterbury fans, that had been published on Instagram following the side’s 42-4 victory against Manly last week.
The photo showed the group of eight individuals wearing Bulldogs jerseys also performing the ‘Khod’ gesture, raising their hands while lowering their middle fingers.
Some X users branded it a double standard.
One reposted the image, adding: ‘Weird thing to be offended about when they do it.’
Social media users on X hit back at the Bulldogs for their complaints, reposting the image of the Bulldogs fans performing the Khod, while writing: ‘Weird thing to be offended about when they do it’
Tigers star Brent Naden – who also gave the gesture on the field – did so again in a TikTok video that surfaced after Sunday’s match (pictured)
The incident has left fans divided on social media, with some branding the gestures ‘disgraceful’
Another added: ‘But it’s OK for them.’
‘My fascination with this blowing up for the Wests Tigers is the NRL, V’landys and Abdo, Bulldogs CEO Gus Gould, Dogs players, their fans and sponsors all approved these signs as part of the best fans in the NRL but now it’s offensive? A bit hypocritical perhaps?’ another wrote.
One fan said: ‘The Canterbury Bankstown “can give but can’t take it” Bulldogs.’
Despite the furore on social media, one responded by saying that the gesture used by the fans was meant to be taken as a joke.
‘For what it’s worth, as an Arab, I don’t find this offensive (don’t try to tell me how I SHOULD feel). I’ve only ever seen it used as a joke, kind of like the pic below. Context is important,’ the X user wrote.
Other fans on social media enjoyed the Tigers’ celebrations, with NRL superfan Jean-Claude Bitar, reacting to the try celebrations, stating: ‘This is the greatest try celebration and it’s not even try July, it is wet August … Keep giving them the “Khod”, up the f***ing Tigers, mate.’
Bitar had previously published a video telling fans how to perform the gesture.
The Bulldogs are understood to have a large Arabic fanbase.
However, one person appeared to hit back at X users after they had reposted the image of the Bulldogs fans, claiming ‘context is important’
Fainu (centre) crashed over in the dying minutes of the match to help the Tigers seal a 28-14 victory against the Bulldogs, with the match made spicier by the fact former Wests star Lachlan Galvin’s stunning defection to Canterbury earlier this year
Meanwhile, the Tigers also have a large number of players from Lebanese backgrounds, including Adam Doueihi and Alex Twal.
The Sydney Morning Herald claims that the Bulldogs have received multiple complaints from fans over the gesture.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted both the Bulldogs and the Tigers for comment.
The incident also appears to have shocked former Wallabies and Leicester Tigers coach Michael Cheika, who is also the coach of the Lebanese rugby union team and is of Lebanese descent.
‘I was pretty shocked when I was watching the game and saw what was going on after that try – I knew what was going on straight away,’ Cheika told The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘It was very culturally insensitive. They knew what it meant because there were Lebanese players in the team. And they chose to do it in front of kids. They were playing so well, they should have been celebrating with their teammates, not abusing people in the crowd.
‘It’s a pretty offensive gesture in our culture. It’s not cool. The best way to get into the opposition supporters is by doing it on the scoreboard.
‘Considering one of the main shows was at Alex Twal’s house during the week, filming a Lebanese barbecue, and promoting the culture and the game, and then to do that… unfortunately, it was ignorant, and I didn’t like it.’
Emotions were already running high at the CommBank Stadium as young half-back Lachlan Galvin returned to face off against his former club, following his controversial and unceremonious exit earlier on this season.
Former Wallabies boss, Michael Cheika (pictured), who is also of Lebanese descent, said he was ‘shocked’ by the Tigers’ celebrations
Emotions were already running high at the CommBank Stadium as young half-back Lachlan Galvin (left) returned to face off against his former club
The Tigers, though, secured a huge 28-14 victory against the Bulldogs, stopping Cameron Ciraldo’s premiership hopefuls from going to the top of the NRL ladder
Galvin was booed by Tigers fans each time he got his hand on the footy during the tense afternoon, and the 20-year-old struggled to have a big impact on the game.
AAP also reports that a fan had fiercely abused Galvin on the footy pitch prior to Sunday’s kick-off.
Bulldogs boss Cameron Ciraldo explained after the match that Galvin had shut out the comments.
‘Nothing much flusters him. I thought he went out there; he did his job today. I don’t think it rattled him that much. It’s just, we got beaten as a team,’ Ciraldo said.
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