Demetriou fined for Twitter comments
Keighley coach Jason Demetriou has been fined for comments he made on Twitter about referee Gareth Hewer.
The Australian made the comments after seeing his Cougars side beaten 40-14 by Leigh on August 23rd, and has been fined £250 by the RFL.
Demetriou, who subsequently submitted an unreserved apology, was found to be in breach of RFL Operational Rule D.1.10 (i) for his comments on the social media website Twitter.
One of his post-match tweets read: “Absolutely disgraceful refereeing, 13-2. Hewer may as well had a red n white shirt on tonight. Leigh des (sic) win good side but he runied (sic) contest.”
Operational Rule D.1.10 (i) states that “No person subject to Operational Rules shall publish or cause to be published (or give any interview to the media by whatsoever medium) critiscim of the character of a match official or criticism of the manner in which a match official has officiated at a game in which the club or player has taken part, or of any other game under the control of the RFL.”
After the match, Demetriou was quoted by the Keighley News as saying: “I thought the referee gave one of the most biased displays I’ve ever seen.
“The penalty count was 13-2 in Leigh’s favour. I have no issue with the ones given against us but he refused to point his arm the other way.
“It was embarrassing. Like I said, I have no issue with our penalties but we should have got a lot more the other way.”
The former Widnes and Wakefield player is leaving the UK at the end of the season to return to Australia.
He has been coach of Keighley for the past two seasons, leading them to Championship 1 Grand Final glory last year and then in to the Championship play-offs in 2012.
