Western Sydney midfielder Roly Bonevacia claims he was racially abused by Adelaide United fans during the Wanderers A-league draw at Coopers Stadium.
Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Roly Bonevacia has taken to social media alleging Adelaide United fans at Coopers Stadium on Boxing Day made racist comments.
After Wednesday’s 2-2 A-League draw the Dutchman tweeted that he had heard the slurs during his 86-minute stint on the field.
“Next time keep the racist comments to yourself @AdelaideUnited fans!!” Bonevacia wrote on Twitter.
“Don’t ruin the game! #sayno.”
Football Federation Australia (FFA) has been made aware of an incident and is working closely with both clubs and Adelaide Venue Management to determine what occurred.
“FFA condemns any form of racist or non-inclusive remarks and will not tolerate it at any time,” the organisation said, via a statement.
Last month a Wanderers fan was ejected from a game for directing a racist comment towards Brisbane goalkeeper Jamie Young, who is of Sri Lankan and Scottish descent.
Adelaide United have released a statement in response to the allegations.
“Adelaide United has been made aware of an incident involving a spectator at Coopers Stadium and Western Sydney Wanderers FC footballer, Roly Bonevacia, on Wednesday evening,” it reads.
“Adelaide United is working closely with Western Sydney Wanderers FC and Football Federation Australia to gain a complete understanding of what has occurred.
“Adelaide United condemns any form of racist or non-inclusive remarks and will not tolerate it at its fixtures.
“As the investigation into the matter is on-going, Adelaide United will not be making any further comment at this time.
MORE TO COME
Buddy
Roar Rookie
It is almost as though there needs to be some re-education possibly amongst older fans, not gen x gen Y etc. The issue here is that general sledging of players in sport was often mixed with racist taunts. The point of sledging, be it through shouting out a single sentence or a few words or a song or chant uttered by several hundred ore en thousand fans- is to upset the player from their natural rhythm, or to put them off their game and the perpetrators always look for the easiest way or an abvious trait such as colour, race, religion or occasionally, even sexual orientation. In the days before specific legislation was passed and there was a crackdown and criminal charges, racist taunts, songs, noises,and the use of certain fruits at matches was commonplace and it appeared to be a highly effective way to help a team gain a perceived advantage. With some major shifts in social attitudes, the fight for equality on many levels and the subsequent introduction of legislation or in some cases, just an enforcement of existing laws we have seen a marked change in the way the subject is perceived and interpreted and a new code of conduct has blossomed. On the one hand it is acceptable to question the parentage and family history of match officials, sing songs about bedroom antics of players, allude to lack of manhood, or comment on physique, weight and body size, even sing songs about the police and security, there are now a list of subjects that may not be touched and a line that cannot be crossed without certain consequences. I am not arguing an particular point; merely observing the changed landscape and I do wonder where we will end up? It is clear to me that there are plenty of sports lovers who don’t understand the differences or don’t care. There are racist, sexist, ageist, religious based comments and catcalls regularly made at sporting events - it is just that perhaps they aren’t loud enough to be heard and brought to notice!
Redb
Roar Guru
Disgraceful from soccer fans. Should know better.