The A-League has been accused of undermining social cohesion after banning fans from wearing jerseys of nations “currently involved in major conflicts” ahead of this week’s multicultural round.
On Thursday evening, Western Sydney Wanderers posted a tile to social media announcing “acceptable” and “prohibited” attire for the club’s multicultural round double header at Commbank Stadium in Parramatta on Friday.
It advised fans that they could not wear or bring flags, banners or any attire displaying political messaging that “may cause offence or incite tension”, and that shirts of nations “currently involved in major conflicts” were banned.
The club cited the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), which operates the A-Leagues, and Venues NSW terms and conditions of entry as the reason behind the rules.
The A-League terms of admission reads that fans cannot enter venues with signs, banners or materials, including clothing, that displays “offensive or inappropriate content” or which may “vilify a person, cause offence or incite hatred or violence as determined by APL”.
Venue NSW’s terms of admission reads that patrons cannot bring “any flags or banners which contain text or images which Venues NSW considers to be offensive, discriminatory, political or intimidating in nature”.
The CEO of APL, Steve Rosich, said like all sporting codes, it had an “established terms of admission for all A-League matches that we work collaboratively with our venues on”.
“This policy allows national team flags and jerseys to be worn and brought into A-League matches,” he said.
“Our goal is to ensure that our game promotes harmony for all, and in line with this, our policy does allow for discretion to be used by stadium staff to request certain banners, flags and merchandise, based on local and international context and climate, be cloaked before entry to encourage enjoyment for all patrons collectively.”
The president of the NSW council for civil liberties, Tim Roberts, said the APL should be “ashamed”.
“It is one thing to have a policy so vague that it clearly cuts around legitimate political communication,” he said. “It is another thing entirely to press that policy in the current climate.”
Roberts said in trying to avoid controversy the APL was going against a “proud tradition” of football across the world that saw many teams and fan bases speaking up against oppression.
“We have seen a growing trend of our communities’ right to political communication being silenced by corporations through employment, we cannot allow cultural and sporting institutions to do the same, let alone Venues NSW which is a government department,” he said.
“The result of this decision will be fractious interactions between fans, venue security and NSW police as subjective assessments are made about what is and is not offensive to the policy.”
The multicultural round double header is described by the Wanderers as a “celebration of community, culture and connection”, noting Western Sydney is one of the most diverse regions in the country, with more than 180 languages spoken across its suburbs.
“The Wanderers are proud to provide a platform where that diversity can be seen, heard and celebrated,” its website states. “The club will ensure fans from all backgrounds feel welcomed and represented.”
The APL and WSW were asked for clarity on which nations were included under the definition of being involved in a “major conflict”. Venues NSW were also approached for comment.
The move comes after a teenager wearing a football jersey containing the Palestinian flag last month was refused entry to an A-League match at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
A video, obtained by Guardian Australia, showed security asking the Palestinian Australian to remove it if she wanted to enter the Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC game.
President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Nasser Mashni, said a policy that pushed Palestinians out of a “so-called multicultural celebration” was “anti-Palestinian racism”.
“Australia prides itself on being built on diversity and acceptance. Yet Palestinians are repeatedly told those values apply to everyone except them. They are welcome only if they are silent, invisible and prepared to leave their identity at the gate,” he said.
“We have already seen a teenager refused entry to a match because she wore a Palestinian jersey. That is exclusion. That is discrimination. And it is becoming normalised.”
Mashni said blanket bans on flags or symbols didn’t build social cohesion but “single out communities in mourning and imply their identity is provocative or dangerous”.
Social media users were quick to come out swinging against the new policy on social media, with some questioning if it would apply to nations such as Russia or Ukraine.
“Can we really expect venue security to have a comprehensive understanding of every international armed conflict?” one wrote.
Another wrote: “What a ridiculous announcement. So you can’t wear anything that could cause offence … Who is the arbitrator of what shirt is offensive?”
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