The Far West Football League Independent Commission on Wednesday last week added a further five weeks to an existing 10-week ban after hearing that the supporter ignored the first ban and attended the Western United versus Koonibba game at Ceduna on July 25.
The Ceduna man, who has not been named publicly by the commission, will not be welcome at a FWFL game until round 10 next season.
The same night, the commission also barred a Western United supporter from attending the football last Saturday after finding he had used abusive language towards a Koonibba player, also at Ceduna on July 25.
Chairman, Allan Suter, said the commission found “absolutely no foundation” for a complaint by a Koonibba Football Club official that the man had racially vilified the player.
The Koonibba supporter barred for a total of 15 weeks was one of three of the club’s supporters banned from attending football because of their behaviour and bad language at the Koonibba versus Blues game at the Ceduna oval on July 11.
On July 13, league commissioners, Mr Suter, Ron Redford and Lynton Brown, considered a report on the men’s behaviour and language and banned each of them from attending Far West games for 10 weeks.
They further ruled that if the men apologised to the Koonibba and Blues football clubs and to the commission for their behaviour, the bans could be reduced to six weeks.
The men were not required to attend the hearing.
The Koonibba club was officially notified by letter of the bans and asked to forward individual letters from the commission on to each of the men.
Last week Mr Suter said one of the three had apologised and his ban had been reduced to six weeks.
However, the commission was advised one of the other two men banned was at the July 25 games and was seen mingling with Koonibba players in the visitor’s change rooms after the B grade game.
The commission sent a second letter to Koonibba Football Club and, via the club, to the man, asking that he and club representatives attend the commission hearing at the District Council of Ceduna office on Wednesday last week.
Neither the man nor Koonibba officials turned up.
In the man’s absence, commissioners handed out a further five-week ban.
The commission then heard from the Western United supporter accused of racial vilification, Western United club president Milton Chandler and three witnesses who were standing between the coaches’ boxes with the man on July 25.
The man admitted using abusive language but denied any racial slur.
A one-week match ban imposed for the abusive language breach of league bylaws was approved by the commission.
The commission suspended a further six-week ban on the proviso that the man behaved himself at the football during the remainder of the finals.
After the hearing Mr Suter said the commission “took into account his honesty and that he was contrite”.
Mr Suter said he and Mr Redford met with Koonibba Football Club officials on Thursday evening and relayed the commission’s “disappointment and angst” that club representatives and the banned supporter had not attended the hearing.
“The club (officials) accepted the decisions and they were very embarrassed about not turning up,” Mr Suter said.
He said the Koonibba officials claimed they had been unable to contact their banned supporter.
Mr Suter said the commission was “absolutely committed and determined” to stamp out inappropriate behaviour and language by spectators at the football.
The commission had “wide-ranging powers given to it by the four teams” and it would use those powers, he said, to ensure that families could go to the football without women and children having to put up with unruly behaviour and offensive language around them.
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