Australian crowd slammed after ‘disgusting’ Welcome to Country act

The crowd during the Australia Cup match came under fire for the behaviour during the Welcome to Country recognition before the match. (Getty Images)

A section of the crowd at the Australia Cup match between Macarthur FC and Sydney United has been blasted after ‘disgusting’ behaviour during the Welcome to Country and national anthem.

Just five games into his managerial career Dwight Yorke claimed his first piece of silverware, lifting the Australia Cup after his Macarthur FC side ground out a 2-0 win over Sydney United 58.

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However, the match was marred after nazi chants and salutes were spotted in the crowd during the match.

During the traditional Welcome to Country, performed by Erin Wilkins, fans chanted and made noise throughout the acknowledgment.

The crowd noise then descended into boos while Wilkins spoke.

The disgusting behaviour continued throughout the broadcast.

At one moment in the match, images showed members of the crowd performing what appeared to be the Nazi salute.

Images circulated on social media of a number of crowd members raising their arm to perform the horrible sign.

To make matters worse, reports suggested crowd members were also chanting highly inappropriate songs throughout the contest.

Sports presenter Jake Buckley let rip at the behaviour during the Australia Cup final.

“Sydney United getting to the Final was meant to be a good thing. First NPL club ever to do it. Instead it exposed neo nazis in their own supporter group,” he wrote.

“Hope the whole club is throughly investigated. These people shouldn’t be welcome in Football in this country.”

Aussie tennis player John Millman weighed-in on the drama and slammed the crowd.

Football Australia responded to the behaviour and condemned the actions.

“Football Australia acknowledges that a very small minority of attendees engaged in behaviour not consistent with Football Australia’s values and wider community expectations,” the statement said.

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“Football Australia took steps during the match to address these isolated behaviours, including eight evictions.

“Football Australia will continue to gather information from the venue, clubs, and authorities on this matter, as anti-social behaviour has no place in our game.”

A 32nd-minute penalty from Al Hassan Toure and a second spot-kick from Ulises Davila in the dying stages of the second half secured victory for Yorke’s team on Saturday.

Davila was awarded the Mark Viduka Medal for a man-of-the-match performance which brought Macarthur’s first trophy since they entered the A-League Men in 2020.

“It’s been a good transition into management,” Yorke said.

“I came to Macarthur with an open mind, knowing the club was relatively new.

“I felt it (the club’s ambition) was in line with my ambition as a coach and here we are and we’ve won the cup.

Danijel Nizic thanks the fans during the Australia Cup Final football match. (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“We felt that this was a competition we wanted to go all the way in and the further we went the better and stronger we got.”

The Bulls had plenty to overcome at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium, not least a boisterous crowd of 16,461 which was dominated by United’s fans displaying Croatian flags.

Around 3,000 United supporters marched down Parramatta’s Victoria Road before the match, with flares and banners generating a fiery atmosphere from kick-off.

Part-timers United, who became the first NPL team to reach the cup final, beating ALM sides Brisbane Roar and Western United en route, were buoyed by the backing and were up for the fight.

That filtered through to the pitch when a push-and-shove erupted over United’s treatment of Macarthur winger Daniel Arzani.

Macarthur FC celebrate winning the Australia Cup Final. (Photo by Steven Markham/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The six-cap Socceroo caused United countless problems down the left flank until being taken off with 15 minutes to go.

The Bulls got their reward when Davila was brought down inside the box following a clumsy challenge from United defender Anthony Tomelic with half an hour gone.

Toure converted from the spot and was greeted with projectiles from the United fans as he ran towards their end cupping his ears in celebration.

United couldn’t fashion an equaliser with striker Patrick Antelmi, who had perhaps the best chance of the night, only able to cushion a header into the hands of Bulls goalkeeper Filip Kurto in the second half.

The Bulls, who went close through Lachlan Rose in the second half, eventually got their second when substitute Craig Noone was felled in the United box.

with AAP

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