Adelaide City FC Chairman condemns fans for homophobic abuse aimed at visiting football clubs

Charman of Adelaide City FC since 2021, Greg Griffin yesterday released a statement on Facebook publicly condemning the behaviour of a group of the club’s own supporters over homophobic comments ranging from “inappropriate to disgraceful” levelled at players from opposing Campbelltown and Cumberland teams.

Griffin was moved to issue the statement after the "disgusting and vile" conduct was brought to the attention of the club's senior management team.

In 1977 Adelaide City became a founding member of the National Soccer League (NSL). Today, Adelaide City is one of Australia's most successful sides, competing in the National Premier League, the tier below the A-League Women's and Men's competitions.

Griffin is a practising lawyer and since 1996 has run his own legal firm, Griffins Lawyers, specialising in Sports Law, Corporate Law and Commercial Litigation and also conducts a stand-alone Sports Advisory Company, Griffin Sports. Griffin advises upon and practices himself in the field of integrity in governance in sport.

Griffin advised that this type of abusive behaviour would not be tolerated by the club and with the FSA rules on players and supporters being clear on such behaviour, as a consequence some of those involved as identified by FSA, will be banned from entering today’s match at the stadium with Griffin noting  “unless fans and spectators are prepared to comply with the FSA Codes which Adelaide City embraces without question, then to be blunt you are no longer welcome here.”

In addition to being totally unacceptable by the club and FSA, Griffin highlighted that such behaviour was harming the club adding “we are a family club. We have the largest number of junior players in the state. We are working to bring as many of those junior players and their families every week to Oakden to watch our Senior Men and Women games.

“Every time some foul mouthed supporter screams homophobic and offensive comments at an opposing player, the less likely the parents are to bring their children back the next week. The future of this club is with our juniors and their families. They are the life blood of the club and they have my assurance as the Chairman of this Board that we now, having been made alert to the behaviour of elements of the supporter group, that we choose to exclude those people rather than risk losing the junior children and their parents.”

Griffin shared that “the decision in the foreseeable future as to what occurred at those two previous games is in the hands of FSA. Whatever sanction the FSA chooses to impose upon those identified spectators will be respected and implemented by the club.”