The Raiders fan was caught on camera appearing to spit at the match officials as they walked down the tunnel at the halftime interval at GIO Stadium. 

The home fans were unhappy with the officiating during the clash, as the Raiders went down 22-26 against the Panthers.

Security removed the man from the stadium immediately, and the club have acted swiftly in the wake of the incident. 

A Raiders statement read: "The Member will have his membership revoked for 12 months, following the incident involving match official Ashley Klein as he left the ground for halftime during the Raiders v Panthers.

At half time as the teams and officials left the field, the member came to the northern side of the players tunnel and was reported to have been abusive and to have spat at the referee.  

The individual was identified immediately and removed by Security and Police and excluded from the venue, who confirmed he cooperated with their request.

The Raiders have received the official report from GIO Stadium security and have passed the information and the clubs sanction on to the NRL."

Raiders CEO Don Furner added: “The member involved in the incident yesterday sent the club a letter within hours of the game and has expressed remorse and has taken responsibility for his actions.

The Raiders will not tolerate anti-social behaviour at home matches and pride ourselves on providing a safe environment for families to attend our games.

“We believe 12 months is a sufficient penalty for the incident and we will review his membership application after this time has expired. From what we understand from further discussions with the member and his family, this was out of character and he is genuinely sorry for his actions.”