Hull will hand out life bans to supporters found responsible for shaming the club on their biggest day for eight years. As the Rugby Football League launched an investigation into the pitch invasion that marred yesterday's Silk Cut Challenge Cup semi-final at Huddersfield, Hull chief executive Shane Richardson said the club would weed out the trouble-makers themselves.
"We will fix it internally because the only way it can be solved is by solving it ourselves," said Richardson, the former Gateshead founder who has engineered a revival of the fortunes of the East Yorkshire club this season. Richardson was shocked and angered by the scenes at the McAlpine Stadium, where hundreds of Hull fans ran onto the pitch after their side lost 28-22 to Leeds Rhinos, ripped down a set of goalposts and goaded opposition fans.
A total of 14 arrests were made for minor public disorder offences and, as police investigations continued, a freephone hotline has been set up for people to pass on further information. While League chairman Sir Rodney Walker has warned that Hull could be banned from future Challenge Cup competitions, Richardson maintained that the club would not shy away from its own responsibilities.
"At the end of the day, the Rugby League can carry out their own sanctions and all sorts of things but Hull FC have got to look it at themselves," he said. "We've got to clean ourselves up." "We had 8,500 people there yesterday and 8,000 of them were well behaved, 500 of them weren't. What happened was totally intolerable and it certainly doesn't reflect Hull and what our genuine fans are like. Those people that were involved in yesterday's disgraceful scenes will be banned from the club for life."
A small section of Hull fans have had a reputation over the years for using foul and abusive language but crowd trouble is rare in a game that prides itself on being a family sport. "I was absolutely shocked, admitted Richardson. I spent a week behind the counters here with the fans coming in for tickets. They were so happy. They saw this as the day when they could celebrate the club being back on its feet. To have mindless hooligans to do that to their day was a disgrace."
"The action has got to come from us. We've got to change the culture ourselves. They are not genuine rugby league fans and I know they do not reflect Hull fans in general or Hull people. I would not have a family here if I thought that. We have got to band together at this time and say we want a change and we will not accept these people in the club. I know that our supporters do not want those sort of people involved at the club. They are the ones who will kick them out, we will weed them out. We will not accept what happened yesterday. They are not Hull FC or rugby league supporters."
Richardson, who is due to hold meetings with fans and ex-player groups today, praised the restraint shown by Leeds supporters, who remained in their seats during the provocation. "We just want to say thank you to Leeds for not being enticed by the mindless rabble in front of them," he said.
