Wests Tigers have been issued with a “formal warning” after several players performed an offensive hand gesture towards Bulldogs fans.
Tigers players including Samuela Fainu, Latu Fainu, and Brent Naden were caught flipping Canterbury fans a Khod during Sunday’s upset win at CommBank Stadium.
Naden also posted a video to social media, which he later deleted, performing the hand gesture again and saying “f—ing Dogs”.
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Early Wednesday morning the NRL issued a statement.
“The NRL acknowledges that these actions caused, or had the potential to cause, offence to members of the NRL community,” it said.
“Separately, the NRL has issued a breach notice to Wests Tigers player Brent Naden.
Brent Naden performed the gesture during and after the game. Twitter
“The notice alleges that Naden’s conduct following the Wests Tigers match on August 3 contravened the NRL Code of Conduct. The player will have five days to respond to the breach notice.”
The Tigers stunned the NRL with a 28-14 victory over the third-placed Bulldogs in wet and muddy conditions at CommBank Stadium.
But some viewers claimed Tigers players went too far in celebrating their surprise success against the top-four outfit.
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When Samuela Fainu scored a try in the 70th minute, he was joined by several teammates in running towards a section of the stadium where mainly blue and white fans sat.
A number of Tigers players performed a hand gesture which was later revealed to be a Khod.
While the word Khod means different things in multiple languages, it is considered offensive in Lebanese and in Arabic and is said to be similar to flipping the middle finger.
Wests Tigers player Samula Fainu gestures towards Bulldogs fans. Getty
It can translate to “take that” or “here you go” but in the wake of Sunday’s incident, others have explained it’s a much stronger insult.
Bulldogs fans were broadcast yelling at the players in an angry response.
Naden played one season for Canterbury in 2022 before joining the Tigers.
The Tigers have been using a different hand gesture to celebrate tries this season, since former Penrith players Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva joined the club.
Players typically celebrate by making a claw symbol with their hand.
Canterbury asked the NRL to investigate the incident on Sunday.
