The FFA Cup round of 32 has been an unequivocal success, yet, in a storyline that is all too familiar in Australian football, Football Federation Australia has managed to put a dampener on the celebrations.
Revelations have emerged in the past few days that Victorian NPL side Melbourne Knights have filed a complaint against the governing body to the Human Rights Commission under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975.
The Knights are claiming they were refused the opportunity to utilise sponsorship deals with three partners due to the FFA’s controversial National Club Identity Policy.
The club wanted to feature Melbourne Croatia Soccer Club as major sponsors on the front of a specially made shirt for the Knights’ FFA Cup clash against Brisbane side Olympic FC on July 29.
Two other sponsors, Australian Croatian Association Melbourne and Australian Croatian Association Geelong, were set to appear on the sleeves.
The Knights claim FFA originally accepted the major sponsor under the NCIP, but then performed a remarkable backflip just five days before the cup clash.
In a statement released last Wednesday, Melbourne Knights said FFA released a memo to the chief executives of each state governing body on July 24, stating they would only approve playing strips that clubs had worn during the qualification stages for the national competition.
It is the first example of FFA implementing the NCIP, albeit with additional laws. The policy sparked a major outcry among fans when it was first released on June 24, incidentally on the eve of the draw for the round of 32.
At the time, many took a ‘wait and see’ approach to the policy, which restricts clubs from using language other than English and implementing symbols that hold any “ethnic, national, political, racial or religious connotations either in isolation or combination.”
As the policy only applies to new clubs, or clubs wanting to revise their name or logo, it was initially downplayed, despite the clear provocation involved against ethnic minorities.
The fine print, for those who dug deeper than FFA’s press release, stated that clubs were also not allowed to advertise or promote similarly ethnic symbols. Yet it also said that such prohibition “does not apply to the legitimate promotion of a club sponsor.”
Melbourne Knights claim they argued successfully with FFA to prove their three sponsors were legitimate under the NCIP, and it is quite clear Melbourne Soccer Club falls under that legitimate category.
But knowing they were out of their depth to deny Melbourne the shirt sponsors, FFA officials duly changed the parameters to suit their agenda.
By issuing the memo to state governing bodies that playing strips had to represent previous strips, FFA was blatantly changing the rules.
The Knights replied to FFA when resubmitting their strip, saying the move demonstrated a “failure of your vision of an assimilated football community, which fundamentally denies the reality of the game in this country.”
And they are bang on the money. This is another attack from FFA in a bid to gain more power and control over football in Australia.
The NDIP, coupled with the changes to Active Support, send signals that FFA is intent on alienating large sections of the game’s community.
This time though, FFA have gone too far in their hardly-concealed efforts to de-ethnicise football in Australia. Whether Melbourne Knights were looking to provoke FFA by printing the ‘Melbourne Croatia’ part of the sponsor in big letters, harking back to the days when that was the club’s name, is irrelevant.
Why is FFA so intent on ridding the game of ethnicity? It is another insult to ‘old soccer’, which has been left behind since the inception of the A-League in 2005.
The FFA Cup was supposed to be a celebration of our game’s history and a chance for old NSL clubs to grab the spotlight after being pushed into the dark. Worse still, a club has been denied valuable resources as a result of the sponsorship collapse, even though FFA has encouraged such initiatives.
This is about power. These clubs aren’t merging with the A-League anytime soon, the FFA has made that quite clear. So why the need to control them? What do they fear?
If Ivor’s Ćevapčići decided to throw sponsorship money at the Knights, would it also be rejected? Or if Oma’s Kitchen wanted to feature on the Newcastle Jet’s FFA Cup jersey, however fanciful that may sound, would they also be knocked back for containing German language?
Following Melbourne’s 3-1 loss to Olympic FC in the round of 32 clash, Knights vice-president Pave Jusup and Melbourne Croatia Soccer Club president Ange Cimera both lodged the official complaints to the Human Rights Commission in regard to the NCIP.
FFA confirmed it had received the two complaints, and now has reportedly less than a month to reply.
It will be interesting to see how FFA argues its case, given the fact that Brisbane Strikers were allowed to play in a newly-released kit on the same day Melbourne faced off against Olympic.
The Knights’ proposed sleeve sponsors for the special FFA Cup kit have also been featured on the club’s jersey in the past. How they were then deemed inappropriate for the FFA Cup is astonishing, and hard to justify.
FFA has stuffed up, and should now be big enough to issue an apology. It’s an embarrassing situation, and one that could and should have been avoided.
This incessant obsession with eradicating any ethnic connotations in the game is unnecessary, and ignores the work clubs such as the Melbourne Knights did in initially growing the game within a hostile environment. They deserve better.
The Knights are now ready challenge the FFA’s NCIP in the Federal Court, if the issue cannot be resolved through the Human Rights Commission.
At least an independent body will finally be able to scrutinise FFA’s policy, and FFA will be forced to explain the logic and legitimacy of the NCIP for the first time.
The key principle was to “promote Australia’s most inclusive, accessible and multicultural sport.”
“We want clubs that stand for uniting people through the joy of football,” the governing body said in its press release.
It seems FFA is being exclusive, and is more intent on Anglicising the game to mirror that of its English counterparts.
The ramifications of this fallout are, as yet, uncertain. But it will be interesting to see how FFA responds and how far Melbourne Knights are willing to pursue this matter.
Hopefully some explanations are tabled and the debacle avoids a messy conclusion in the courts.
Needles
Guest
Well said Kasey
theBird
Guest
Great news!
MelbCro
Guest
no, I was simply stating my club was founded in 1953. The name is irrelevant, we don't have a new foundation date for every time our name was changed. Our club has been around for 61 years, we've had name changes thrust upon us many times but we've soldiered on every time with our heads held up high.
j binnie
Guest
Melb Cro- At last,a name as to whom you speak. I refer you back to my comment I did not "insult" the Croatian community I simply took your statement and said though the Croation community had started a "team" in 1953,(YOUR INFORMATION) I did dispute that that team was called Melbourne Knights as you also stated. My reasoning is based on the NSL teams playing in the league around the time of the name change edict. From the " 2 conference" leagues of 1984 when both identities gained entry into the National Soccer League they were known as Sydney Croatia and Melbourne Croatia through to the issuing of the edict by the ASF around 1991 when both teams changed their names to Sydney CSC and Melbourne CSC.These "changes" lasted for another 2 seasons until season 93/94 when the names Sydney United and Melbourne Knights came into use.From 1984 to1994 is a period of 10 years when the name Melbourne Knights was not in use. These facts are readily accessible. I rest my case. jb PS Thanks for the explanation re. the BUSC term. I was not aware of that meaning. jb
RBBAnonymous
Guest
They are barring a social club from sponsoring the football team, why, because it has Croatia in the name. Do you realise that if the Knights decided to find a sponsor that happens to have a country in the name, the FFA would have to bar it. What a ridiculous and counter productive policy. There could be a myriad of sponsorships that clubs now in Australia cant use, American Express, British Airways, Singapore Airlines. Why wouldnt the FFA not bar these particular companies from say sponsoring the Knights or any other club in Australia. All the knights have done is expose a ridiculous policy. Look at the pointless debate it is generating. It is a shirt sponsor for goodness sake, words on a shirt. If you arent offended by American Express or Singapore Airlines then why should you be offended by any sponsorship that has Croatia in the name. I dont necessarily agree with the Knights approach and you can argue all you like that the knights are being disingenuous in their approach, but they are in the right here. It would have been a lot easier for everyone if the FFA just allowed them to use the shirt sponsor, after all, it isnt offending anyone or is it?
Mazzalenko
Guest
Thanks for your concern smart alec and your patronizing attitude to boot. Could not care less about the VPL/Dockerty Cup I was referring to incidents in general the old NSL which made headlines back in the 70's and 80's for the wrong reasons. For the record I recall the NSL from the early 90's onwards and I sure as hell ain't a new dawner who started following the code back in 2005. As for me leaving the county I have as much right as you have of living so I ain't going anywhere and please don't make me out to be a WASP cause I'm anything but and sure as hell ain't a "Cronulla Riot Anglo" as well. Cool your sacks hothead and please take time to enjoy Karlo Tychsen's piece today in rebuttal to Janek's piece. Long live the A-League onward and upwards for football in the country WITHOUT the baggage from yesteryear!!!!!!
RBBAnonymous
Guest
James lets be honest here. Melbourne city is not even owned by an English club, its owned by "evil arabs". Now run for the hills.
MelbCro
Guest
That's a pretty insulting comment saying my club was not founded in 1953 simply because a forced name change. Also my club was never called BUSC. Melbourne BUSC was the old Brunswick Juventus. Definitely some issues with the memory there JB lol
RBBAnonymous
Guest
What are the state colours in football? i think you are confused.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Just on the FFA.. FFA has confirmed today that Fox Sports will be exclusively broadcasting the remainder of the FFA Cup. There will be no more club run web streams. Understandable as Fox paid good money for the rights. I think....
ciudadmarron
Guest
And they are allowed to have a Scottish inspired kit why? :lol:
j binnie
Guest
MelbCro -As you don't address your comments to anyone in particular when replying it is hard to work out to which comment you are referring.If it is my comment I have to point out that "Melbourne Knights"were not "founded" in 1953,but according to you a team started by the Croatian community in 1953. but the name "Knights" did not appear until around 1993/4 after they had been playing in the NSL under the names Melbourne Croatia,Melbourne CSC & Melbourne BUSC.Now if none of these teams ever played in the "Croatian checkers strip" (which I rather like) then I apologise but if they haven't then my memory may be playing tricks.If so --sorry. jb
Bondy
Guest
JB I think Brisbane should use for future reference Maroon in their kit, I note every other major city team uses state colours Adl Utd, Mlb Victy, Perth Glry, Syd FC for instance, it should also help come finals time where other supporters from other sports can identify with the colour at least if not the team annually ..
MelbCro
Guest
no, the club received approval from the FFA. The shirt was submitted to the FFA weeks in advance of the Cup. The FFA queried the sponsors on the shirt, but gave us the approval in the end. Upon on receiving that approval the club publically announced the shirt, That occurred 2 weeks before the Cup. The jersey meets the NCIP criteria which is why approval was given. the rule hat clubs cannot have a newly designed kit was introduced 5 days before the cup kicked off. Yet the rule was not applied to the Brisbane Strikers, who worse a newly designed shirt. That's the timeline of events, but you an outsider that has zero connection with my club is going lecture me about what took place? What a laugh. You are liar, plain and simple. You got no integrity champ, so it doesn't surprise me. Cheers.
MelbCro
Guest
when the Melbourne Knights were founded in 1953 there was no Croatian national team. After independence the Croatian home jersey has been for the most part checkers. That is not what our strip looks like.. We removed the Croatian coat of arms in the mid 90s, forced to do so by a David Hill Soccer Australia. So we didn't get away with anything. In 2010 we reverted back to having the coat of arms on the emblem, as approved by the state federation FFV, Now with the NCIP such decisions in regards to state league sides will have to get approval from the FFA instead.
freewifi
Guest
I'm quite consistent and coherent with my arguments; FFA - Dictatorship. A-League - Franchises playing poor quality football. A-League Fans - Brainwashed, Clueless.
Glenn Innes
Guest
JB- Fortunately it will drift over the heads of 99% of Brisbane football fans but from a commercial stance it seems quite bizzare given those of Dutch ethnicity would be a tiny and shrinking percentage of the population of greater Brisbane.. I actually began my career at what could be described as an ethnic club,a church team in Ipswich called Blackstone Welsh,even though my parents were Scottish we attended the church linked to the team.. I announced my retirement from football at the age of fifteen sighting the fact that I simply could not play the game as the primary reason.There was a Man U manager the name of which escapes me who once commented on a young prospect "he is very deceptive,he is even slower than he looks" That pretty much sums up my time in football.
freewifi
Guest
Keep on guessing mate.
Scott
Guest
Thanks . I edited my post. I knew they changed name and strip. My post was in response to the one above. If mk s crest is OK. Why wouldn't the Roars be?
j binnie
Guest
Scott -You ask about the Knghts "crest"? When the Knights started playing they wore exactly the same strip as the Croatian national team.When the edict came out in 1992 they had to change and as explained elsewhere the Knight's fought the edict harder than most,changing their name twice before becoming the Knights and obviously reducing their crest to the red and white checkers you mention which they appear to have got away with(by the hierarchy).I think it is that acceptance by both parties over the last 20 years that is now at the root of this latest stand-off.Hope this is of some help jb.