Football Australia has condemned a “very small minority” of fans who somewhat marred Saturday night’s Australia Cup final at CommBank Stadium.
Macarthur defeated Sydney United 58 2-0 in front of more than 16,000 fans. United was the first non-A-League club to reach the final of the knockout tournament and the club’s fans flocked through the gates to form the vast majority of the crowd, despite the Bulls entering as hot favourites.
United was founded by Croatian immigrants in 1958, with the club also hosting the annual Australian-Croatian soccer tournament which saw extra support from interstate travellers on Saturday night.
But the pre-match Welcome to Country was spoiled by constant interruptions and booing from the crowd which continued throughout the national anthem.
The Network 10 broadcast also captured numerous fans appearing to make Nazi salutes.
The Age reports no arrests were made but Football Australia said eight patrons were evicted.
A FA spokesperson told The Age: “One of Football Australia’s core values is being inclusive and diverse.
“Our strength as a sport is our diversity. We celebrate that football is embedded in the nation’s social fabric and it follows the diverse story of Australia.
“In saying that, Football Australia acknowledges that a very small minority of attendees engaged in behaviour that is not consistent with Football Australia’s values and wider community expectations.
“Football Australia took steps during the match to address these isolated behaviours, including eight evictions. Football Australia will continue to gather information from the venue, clubs, and authorities on this matter, as anti-social behaviour has no place in our game.”
Former Socceroo Craig Foster called for all to be held to account, including the club.
Catching up on the disgusting news from last night.
— Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) October 1, 2022
My apologies to Indigenous Australia. I condemn the horrific display of racist hate & stand with our Jewish & other affected communities.
All involved need to be held accountable including the club. https://t.co/t7nEeO5gvy
The Sydney United 58 fans found themsleves in a similar situation last year after a regular season game against Rockdale Illinden saw both sets of fans involved in an ugly brawl.
Three men were hospitlised with lacerations. Both clubs were fined $11,000, stripped of six competition points and forced to play out the reaminder of the season with no fans at home games.
The title was Macarthur’s first Australia Cup.