Daily Times

SYDNEY: Football Federation Australia fined Western Sydney Wanderers Aus$20,000 ($15,375) Thursday for a lewd banner displayed by fans at last weekend’s A-League derby against Sydney FC. The FFA found the Wanderers guilty of bringing the game into disrepute after the club’s notorious Red & Black Bloc (RBB) supporters raised a banner depicting Sydney FC manager Graham Arnold engaging in a sex act. The governing body could have activated a suspended points penalty on the Wanderers for past misdemeanours, but decided instead to impose the fine. The FFA said they had taken into account the measures announced by Wanderers on Wednesday to ban 14 supporters for 18 months for displaying the homophobic banner. Outrage erupted in the football community and media over the incident late in the second half of Wanderers’ 1-0 win over Sydney last Saturday. “The actions of the Western Sydney Wanderers spectators responsible for displaying the banner and the ensuing celebration of the banner on social media were completely unacceptable,” A-League boss Greg O’Rourke said. “While we have noted and were pleased with the positive pro-active measures undertaken by the Western Sydney Wanderers, the fine reflects the fact clubs are responsible for the actions of their spectators and managing the approval of the game-day banners and activities of their fan groups.” The FFA said identified fans would go through the organising body’s exclusion process. Western Sydney said they have also committed to monitoring the behaviour of their supporters at matches and on social media platforms.