Sydney United fans at CommBank Stadium.Credit:Getty
Two people weregiven life bans for performing Nazi salutes,while Sydney United fans were criticised for not observing the pre-match Welcome to Country and displaying flags with symbols and insignia closely related to the Ustashe,a regime which collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews,Serbs and Romani people.
Fans also chanted ‘Za Dom - Spremni!’,a slogan also associated with the Ustashe movement.
Football Australia says it took all of this into account when considering its sanctions against Sydney United,as well as the club’s response to a show cause notice from the federation,the need to deter such behaviour from occurring again,and the sport’s broader interests.
The money from the fine,FA said,will be used to “further invest” in anti-discrimination and cultural competency education,training and materials for the Australian soccer community.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson.Credit:Glenn Hunt/Getty Images
FA also outlined a wide range of other punishments for the club that will be enacted if the club “fails to comply with specific requirements”,which were not publicly revealed - including a deduction of up to 40 competition points per sanction from its NSW NPL tally,and participation bans from the next three editions of the Australia Cup.
The club’s board members,administrators,players,staff,volunteers and fan group leaders will also be directed to undergo compulsory education and training to counter racism,discrimination,anti-Semetic and faith-based hatred in the event of any further breaches of FA’s requirements,as well as Indigenous “cultural competency training”,volunteer work with First Nations and Jewish communities,and other “cultural initiatives” and “prescribed standards of behaviour” that will be forced on the club and its supporters.