Canterbury has faced criticism for being ‘hypocrites’ following reports on Monday that the football club has lodged a complaint with the NRL concerning inappropriate gestures made by Wests Tigers players to Bulldogs fans on Sunday afternoon.

Just a week after suffering a 34-point defeat to Penrith, Benji Marshall’s team delivered a surprising blow to the top-performing Bulldogs at a rain-drenched CommBank Stadium, thanks in part to Jeral Skelton’s two tries, securing a 28-14 victory.

The victory, however, has been overshadowed by controversy as the NRL’s Integrity Unit is now looking into the conduct of several Tigers players who allegedly made an offensive hand gesture toward Bulldogs fans during celebrations following Samuela Fainu’s try in the closing 10 minutes of the match.

This gesture involves lowering the middle finger toward the palm. In certain Arabic, Lebanese, and other cultures, it is considered comparable to making an obscene gesture with the middle finger.

The term ‘Khod’ has various interpretations. In Arabic, it directly translates to ‘take,’ and individuals often accompany the gesture with the expression to mean ‘take this.’

‘What Naden did is the Lebanese version of the middle finger,’ one wrote on social media.

A TikTok of Naden performing the ‘Khod’ after the match has also gone viral. According to AAP, the footy player, 29, had sent a video of himself performing the ‘Khod’ to a friend. The clip was later leaked on social media. During the video, Naden is overheard saying: ‘F***ing Dogs.’

Canterbury officials have now contacted the Tigers over the incident, which has left fans divided online, with some branding it a ‘disgrace’.

Others on social media hit back at the Bulldogs and their supporters for complaining about the flashpoint. 

They reposted an image of a group of a group of Canterbury fans, that had been published on Instagram following the side’s 42-4 victory against Manly last week. 

The photo showed the group of eight individuals wearing Bulldogs jerseys also performing the ‘Khod’ gesture, raising their hands while lowering their middle fingers.

Some X users branded it a double standard.  

One reposted the image, adding: ‘Weird thing to be offended about when they do it.’

Another added: ‘But it’s OK for them.’

‘My fascination with this blowing up for the Wests Tigers is the NRL, V’landys and Abdo, Bulldogs CEO Gus Gould, Dogs players, their fans and sponsors all approved these signs as part of the best fans in the NRL but now it’s offensive? A bit hypocritical perhaps?’ another wrote.

One fan said: ‘The Canterbury Bankstown “can give but can’t take it” Bulldogs.’

Despite the furore on social media, one responded by saying that the gesture used by the fans was meant to be taken as a joke.

‘For what it’s worth, as an Arab, I don’t find this offensive (don’t try to tell me how I SHOULD feel). I’ve only ever seen it used as a joke, kind of like the pic below. Context is important,’ the X user wrote.

Other fans on social media enjoyed the Tigers’ celebrations, with NRL superfan Jean-Claude Bitar, reacting to the try celebrations, stating: ‘This is the greatest try celebration and it’s not even try July, it is wet August … Keep giving them the “Khod”, up the f***ing Tigers, mate.’

Bitar had previously published a video telling fans how to perform the gesture.

The Bulldogs are understood to have a large Arabic fanbase.

Meanwhile, the Tigers also have a large number of players from Lebanese backgrounds, including Adam Doueihi and Alex Twal.

The Sydney Morning Herald claims that the Bulldogs have received multiple complaints from fans over the gesture.

The incident also appears to have shocked former Wallabies and Leicester Tigers coach Michael Cheika, who is also the coach of the Lebanese rugby union team and is of Lebanese descent.

‘I was pretty shocked when I was watching the game and saw what was going on after that try – I knew what was going on straight away,’ Cheika told The Sydney Morning Herald.

‘It was very culturally insensitive. They knew what it meant because there were Lebanese players in the team. And they chose to do it in front of kids. They were playing so well, they should have been celebrating with their teammates, not abusing people in the crowd.

‘It’s a pretty offensive gesture in our culture. It’s not cool. The best way to get into the opposition supporters is by doing it on the scoreboard.

‘Considering one of the main shows was at Alex Twal’s house during the week, filming a Lebanese barbecue, and promoting the culture and the game, and then to do that… unfortunately, it was ignorant, and I didn’t like it.’

Emotions were already running high at the CommBank Stadium as young half-back Lachlan Galvin returned to face off against his former club, following his controversial and unceremonious exit earlier on this season.

Galvin was booed by Tigers fans each time he got his hand on the footy during the tense afternoon, and the 20-year-old struggled to have a big impact on the game.

AAP also reports that a fan had fiercely abused Galvin on the footy pitch prior to Sunday’s kick-off. 

Bulldogs boss Cameron Ciraldo explained after the match that Galvin had shut out the comments.

‘Nothing much flusters him. I thought he went out there; he did his job today. I don’t think it rattled him that much. It’s just, we got beaten as a team,’ Ciraldo said.