Football Victoria has launched an investigation after reports that racist chants were directed at players during a National Premier League (NPL) match between Preston Lions FC and Heidelberg United FC last Friday in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Two spectators told the ABC they heard “monkey” noises coming from the Preston supporter area, allegedly targeting Heidelberg United players of African descent. One of those players was forward Bul Juach, who was born in South Sudan and scored the match’s only goal.
His celebration in front of the home crowd was met with a chorus of boos, and while the alleged abuse is not audible in the match broadcast, the witnesses said it was clearly heard from within the stand.
Preston Lions FC acknowledged the allegations and said it had referred the matter to both Football Victoria and Victoria Police. The club released a statement committing to enforcing Football Victoria’s Spectator Code of Behaviour, which explicitly prohibits racist chanting, and announced plans to introduce a phone line for reporting anti-social behaviour during matches.
Heidelberg United general manager Chris Pavlidis said he was disappointed by the reports and that, while no formal complaints had been made by players or coaching staff, the club takes such matters seriously.
“If anything like that was brought to our attention we would have followed up with [football authorities] immediately,” he said.
The match, attended by hundreds of fans, was marked by a lively atmosphere and traditional rivalry between the two ethnically rooted clubs.
Football Victoria has confirmed the incident is being investigated, but no further details have been released while inquiries are ongoing.
Source: ABC News
