Super League side Salford Owner Marwan Koukash will "ban for life anyone found to have been involved" in the trouble that "marred the end" of his team's win at Huddersfield on Monday, according to the PA. Shortly after the Red Devils had beaten the Giants 26-24, photographs emerged of some of Salford’s players "becoming embroiled in ugly scenes with some of their own supporters in the away end of the ground." Pictures on Twitter showed wing Justin Carney and center Junior S’au involved in "heated exchanges," with one particular photo showing New Zealander S’au "appearing to restrain a fan on the ground while Huddersfield have confirmed that a flare was let off in the away stand." The Huddersfield statement read, "Neither the fan who ignited [the flare], nor the fan who subsequently threw it towards the playing surface, were identified. The flare was removed from the playing surface by Stewards." Carney and S’au were reportedly "concerned for the welfare of their families who were sitting close to where an alleged incident of crowd trouble had taken place," and went into the stands to check on them, leading to "further scenes of confrontation." Koukash has promised the "strongest possible action against anyone found to have caused trouble." He said, "We have asked for the CCTV from Huddersfield. The minority who caused the trouble, who I called thugs, will not be associated with our club or the sport. We will make sure they never attend a rugby league game again" (PA, 3/29). In London, Simon Rice reported Rugby Football League CEO Nigel Wood said, "We will conduct a full investigation into the events that took place in the away section of the crowd at the game between Huddersfield and Salford. We do not condone violence of any kind and will ensure that anyone found to have acted improperly is dealt with accordingly" (INDEPENDENT, 3/29). The BBC's Shamoon Hafez reported Huddersfield's Jermaine McGillvary, whose own family was in the stand, said that it was the "worst incident" he has witnessed at a rugby league match. He said, "It was shocking and alarming. Women were crying and kids were walking out of it. I don't think anyone was seriously hurt, but it is not a nice thing to be involved in" (BBC, 3/29).
