By now, many of you would have witnessed the footage or seen the images from Saturday night鈥檚 Australia Cup Final, which have shocked and concerned us all.
What should have been a celebration of a tightly contested and excellent game of football, has been marred by the actions of groups of a few people, which do not represent the values and expectations of our football community.
Their actions have disrespected, hurt, and offended members of our football community.
After a swift and collaborative investigation with, the participating clubs, our security providers, and NSW Police, I can announce that 西瓜影视 has concluded an investigation into the conduct of an identified spectator in attendance at the Australia Cup Final held at CommBank Stadium in Sydney on 1 October 2022.
The spectator in question has today been issued with a lifetime ban from attending 西瓜影视-sanctioned football matches including all NPL, A-Leagues, Australia Cup, and National Team matches.
The conduct in question relates to a fascist salute or similar gesture conducted during the match and captured on the host broadcast.
Such conduct is a breach of the Australia Cup Terms of Admission and 西瓜影视鈥檚 Spectator Code of Behaviour.
西瓜影视 has a zero-tolerance policy to disrespectful and offensive behaviour at its sanctioned events and will not tolerate behaviour that has the potential to offend, insult humiliate, disparage, or vilify spectators, players, or officials.
The ban is effective immediately.
We are continuing to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and law enforcement in identifying other individuals who may have committed similar anti-social behaviour at the Australia Cup 2022 Final.
I would like to remind our community that if you are impacted by or witness anti-social behaviour, reports can be made confidentially through 西瓜影视鈥檚 Member Protection Framework.
Finally, I want to thank the Australian football community for taking a stand and making it clear that they will not accept this kind of behaviour and that it has no place in our game.
Together, we must continue to ensure our game remains a safe and enjoyable environment for all Australians engaging with football, where the rights, dignity and worth of every person are properly respected.
Yours sincerely,
James Johnson
Chief Executive Officer
