2 days ago
Football Victoria investigation underway after reports of racial abuse at Melbourne NPL soccer match
An investigation is underway after allegations some spectators racially vilified players at a soccer match in Victoria's highest-ranked football league.
Two spectators present at last Friday's match between Preston Lions FC and Heidelberg United FC told the ABC they heard fans in the Preston supporter area making "monkey" noises or a "monkey-type" chant, apparently directed to opposing team players of African descent.
The home soccer club, Preston Lions FC, said it was aware of the matter.
It said it had referred the incident to Football Victoria and Victoria Police, and an investigation was underway.
Football Victoria has confirmed it is investigating the incident.
Victoria Police said it was aware of an incident at a soccer match in Reservoir on June 6, but had not received an official report.
The match was played in Reservoir in Melbourne's northern suburbs, as part of Victoria's National Premier League competition, which is Victoria's top-level football league and the second highest tier of soccer in Australia, below the A-league.
It was attended by hundreds of people, including families.
Two spectators, who were supporting Preston, told the ABC they heard the racist chants and believed they were coming from a small number of supporters of their own team.
The spectators, who did not want to be named, were sitting in an area designated for home club (Preston) fans only.
They believed the chants were being directed at Heidelberg FC players.
The ABC understands at least two people contacted the club to report the alleged abuse after Friday night's game.
Preston Lions FC general manager Jason Goldsmith told the ABC the club was aware of the issue and had referred it to relevant authorities but could not make further comment while it was being investigated.
On social media, the club released a statement saying it was "concerned to learn of anti-social behaviour" at the recent home game.
It said it was committed to implementing Football Victoria's Spectator Code of Behaviour, which explicitly bans "racist chanting".
"Football is for everyone … Any individual or group found to be in breach of these codes will face serious disciplinary action, including being banned from the club," the statement said.
The club would also create a phone number to allow spectators to immediately report anti-social behaviour during future games.
Heidelberg United FC general manager Chris Pavlidis said he was surprised and disappointed to hear the reports but had not heard any complaints from his players or coaching staff of anything beyond "stock-standard jeering".
"None of the boys have approached us with a complaint."
Both clubs at the match, as with many suburban soccer clubs, have a proud history of active support and fierce rivalries amongst spectators, which is why fans of both teams were physically separated and sat in different areas.
Formed by Greek migrants, the Heidelberg United Football club was formerly known as Alexander the Great, continues to feature him on the club crest and has ongoing ties to the Greek community.
Formerly known as the Preston Makedonia, The Preston Lions Football Club was established by Macedonian migrants and continues to have strong links to Melbourne's Macedonian community.
In recent years, Preston has made efforts to attract players and fans from across the diverse community in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
"The reason we go to Preston is it's a very lively crowd, it's a great atmosphere," one of the attendees who heard the alleged abuse told the ABC.
The other spectator who spoke with ABC about the incident said he was a regular attendee at Preston games.
He said he was aware of the typical culture of active support within football, with booing and chants common at high-level suburban games — but this was different.
Both spectators said the chant began in a context of a lot of booing that seemed to be disproportionately directed at Heidelberg's black players.
Among those players was Heidelberg United forward Bul Juach, who was born in South Sudan and migrated to Australia aged 12.
Juach scored the game's winning goal for the away team and celebrated the goal with teammates in front of the Preston supporter stand.
In a video broadcast of the game, the commentator noted Juach's celebration attracted "a chorus of boos," which can be heard on the recording.
While the alleged vilification cannot be heard on the video broadcast, the pair who spoke to the ABC, who were attending the game together, said it was clearly audible from within the stand.
They said they heard other fans near them commenting on it too.
"Me and my friend could hear it, and we sort of looked at each other … like, 'is that what I think it is?' And then it was like, 'yeah, that is,'" said one of the people who spoke to the ABC.
"My mates and I were talking about it and like, that's appalling.
The other spectator, who was attending the match with his 11-year-old son, said it was confronting especially for his son, who was not aware of the high-profile history of racial vilification in sports, like the booing of AFL great Adam Goodes.
He said he was glad the club was investigating the reports and hoped it would take action.
"Whether or not we can support this club moving forward really depends on how they respond," he said.
Both Preston Lions FC and Football Victoria said they could not provide further details on the incident while the investigation was underway.
