Derek Beaumont calls on RFL to act over Tesi Niu fan abuse

Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont wants the Rugby Football League to take action over chanting aimed at centre Tesi Niu.

Niu was embroiled in drama in the off-season after allegations of physical abuse were made against the player by his partner, according to the text which accompanied the pictures.

Those images displayed bruises caused by an alleged assault and were shared on Niu’s Instagram, with the person posting them claiming to be his partner. Niu’s social media channels were subsequently deleted.

Leigh, via Beaumont, released a statement later that month, detailing the processes that had been overseen and that no official complaint had been made.

Since then, Niu has continue to play but has been jeered by supporters. Speaking out on the ongoing matter, Beaumont said fans will be ejected if heard abusing the player.

“Sport’s sport and you can’t control what people do on social media and what people want to say,” Beaumount said in an interview with the club’s official media channels. “A lot of it is done behind aliases and nobody knows who anyone is. I’m thick-skinned, it doesn’t bother me, I’ll have a bit of fun on there. But we’ve got to remember the players playing this game, they’re human beings.

“Generally speaking, they’re young men and one of our players, Tesi Niu, has been coming in for stick that I know is not right. Even if it was, it isn’t right to abuse somebody in such a way, because it is abuse. I’ve basically called upon the RFL to crack down on that because as a club we crack down on the flute song, we got rid of it. There’s no place for it in a family sport. It’s about entertainment. Of course we want the fans to sing and we want a bit of banter but to single an individual out over facts that you have no genuine knowledge about, when you’re given a snippet, understandably people reach conclusions.

“We’ve got a country has a law and has procedures and policies that you follow that identify and prevent issues. You’ve got to trust those processes and if nothing has come of that, it’s because there is nothing to come of that. I just think the noise around Tesi, it’s gone on for too long and it’s too much. When it has a serious impact on someone’s mental well-being, as the owner of the club it’s my right to put pressure on the RFL to reinforce the message that we are a family sport, and we don’t tolerate that kind of abuse of players or teams.

“Anyone coming to LSV that behaves in that way in the away end, they will be notified that it can’t continue and if it does continue, they’ll be ejected. It’s a clear, simple message. If that’s what you want to do when you come, don’t come because we’d rather you not be here. We will protect our players when we know the facts. When I’ve spoke to a player’s wife when a so-called issue has arisen, and I know the full facts and her facts, and her version, I’ll support the correct outcome.”