‘Absolutely horrendous’
A soccer fan who was shown to be performing a Nazi salute at the Australia Cup final in Sydney has received a life ban.
A SOCCER fan caught performing a Nazi salute has been banned from attending all Football Australia-sanctioned matches for life.
It comes after NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet backed the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies’ (JBD) call for all soccer supporters shown performing the Nazi salute at the Australia Cup final to be banned for life.
The ban is effective immediately, with Football Australia chief executive James Johnson saying the organisation adopts a “zero-tolerance policy to disrespectful and offensive behaviour”.
“Their actions have disrespected, hurt and offended members of our football community,” Johnson said.
A large contingent of Sydney United 58 supporters were filmed displaying the salute and other related symbols during Saturday night’s match against Macarthur FC. The Welcome to Country and national anthem were also booed.
Football Australia has issued a show cause notice to Sydney United, while the club has been asked to help identify the remaining individuals involved.
The shocking behaviour has been widely condemned, with Perrottet describing the scenes as “absolutely horrendous”.
NSW JBD CEO Darren Bark added, “These vile symbols and salutes have no place in modern Australian society. They represent the ultimate manifestation of evil – an evil which led to the murder of millions of innocent civilians during WWII, including six million Jews and thousands of Australian diggers who lost their lives fighting against the Nazis during WWII.
“Reprehensible conduct such as this causes immense distress to the victims of Nazi crimes and their descendants.
“The NSW JBD commends Football Australia for calling out these displays, and urges the governing body to take strong action against any fan who participated in these acts, including implementing lifetime attendance bans.
NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel deputy chair and State Labor MP Walt Secord praised the strong leadership of the NSW JBD.
“With so few remaining Shoah survivors, it is so important that we all take an immediate stand against neo-Nazism and far-Right extremism in our society, especially whenever it rears its ugly head,” Secord said.
“We must never shy away from confronting the cancer of racism in NSW.”
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