By Andrew Warshaw
February 27 – An Australian club is on a collision course with its national association, Football Federation Australia (FFA), after sending out its players bearing a slogan supporting the plight of refugees.
A-League club Gold Coast United featured the phrase “Freedom of Speech” on their shirts instead of the logo of club sponsors Hyatt.
The FFA at one stage considered cancelling Gold Coast’s match against Melbourne Victory last weekend but the club’s chief executive Clive Mensink said the FFA had “overreacted to an innocent term”.
“We currently have two African refugees playing for the club who have experienced what it is like to live in a country fighting for freedom of speech,” he said in a statement.
“We thought it was an innocent term as we all recognise in Australia that freedom of speech is something we all respect.
“Fans and the public deserve to know and have the right to freedom of speech, and it’s a slogan which we will keep until the end of the season and possibly next season as well.”
United signings Samuel Tesfagabr and Ambes Yosief – both from Eritrea – were granted refugee status by the Australian Government in 2010.
“Currently we are all concerned for those in Syria fighting for their freedom,” Mensink said.
“Australians have fought in world wars and other actions to protect our freedoms, there was no way we would condone any disrespect for freedom of speech.
“It is our constitutional right to embrace this message and we don’t believe FFA should have the power to intervene.”
But the FFA issued a statement on Saturday saying the club, currently bottom of the 10-team league, was in “material breach” of its Club Participation Agreement (CPA) over the use of the slogan.
“The club did not have FFA approval for usage of the slogan on the playing strip and on stadium signage as required under the terms of its participation in the A-League,” FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said.
“FFA directed the club not to use the slogan on the playing strip or in signage.
“The club declined to comply with the FFA direction and proceeded regardless.”
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