RBB Official Statement

The RBB issues this statement on behalf of its members and to all WSW fans.

Firstly we would like to thank all our members and fans around the stadium for their continued support on match days. Your contribution is appreciated, welcomed and encouraged. This was none more evident than on Sunday at the match vs Newcastle Jets.

The RBB understands the lack of clarity surrounding yesterday's silent protest. Be assured that despite the social media rumour mill and some journalists conjuring their own truths, the decision to protest has no link to the repercussions of flare use during Wednesday's ACL match against Ulsan.

The tone of the email was divisive, and generalising in its condemnation of the RBB as a whole. Not to mention poorly worded, making members come to differing conclusions. The club is intentionally trying to divide us, the fans, by pitting the active and non-active supporters against each other. This is a cheap publicity stunt to show that the club is doing something, and to satisfy the media and FFA alike. This is done by implying that the whole of the RBB is to blame for the events of Wednesday night, not a handful or a minority who engaged in such anti-social behaviour. The club also does not make mention of the fact that the RBB bays on Wednesday night were general admission tickets, not only ticketed members. Generalisations are being made, and the common principles of society are being ignored. This also contradicts Lyall Gorman’s continued assertions that the Wanderers are a community, because they are trying to divide this community through such statements.

1. An MOU between the RBB and WSW was never signed nor agreed upon. A draft copy was provided by WSW to the RBB. An MOU is defined as an agreement between two parties, not one party which assumes its acceptance. The club makes reference to this MOU in its member update email as an iron clad agreement, and advises members that they can request a copy of the document. This is misleading and leads all fans to believe that there was such an agreement in place, which is not the case.

2. Open and transparent dialogue between WSW and RBB is being compromised due to the events leading to the members email sent out by the club. A draft of the email was provided to the RBB only minutes before it was made public. This email was then sent out en masse while concerns regarding the wording and content of the email were being discussed with the club. This concern was communicated to the club prior to the Sunday’s game, but duly dismissed.

3. Due legal process regarding bans and appeals is not being applied. Alleged perpetrators are “identifiedâ€, and duly banned without an appeals process or explanation, nor proof of guilt. These supporters are given no rights, even if proven innocent in a court of law. Not to mention the extremely aggressive stand over tactics and measures taken to harass members by police and Hatamoto. There is a severe lack of transparency. Some examples are;

• Members of the RBB being followed by HATAMOTO, the FFA’s hired undercover security firm, inside and outside FFA grounds to build profiles against members, including at the pre-match pub and on the way home.

• Members who have been banned and charged, taking their grievances to court, spending time and thousands of dollars to have the charges overturned, yet not having their FFA bans rescinded. One member was entitled to press charges against police heavy handedness but chose not to. His FFA ban is still in effect, with no effort from the club to represent him.

• An elderly member of the RBB punched in the face, and nose broken by stadium security. Member invests time and money at hospitals and courts. No assistance is provided by the club, not even a simple apology is afforded to the member and his family. The club advises it will meet with the member after the finals series as they are “busyâ€. This is yet to occur.

• General harassment by Hatamoto and police on game day. When questioned, police advise that these are instructions given to them to take a “zero tolerance†approach.

• Members handed 12 month bans with no prior warning for previously throwing receipt rolls as streamers.

4. The club and A League use the RBB as a marketing tool to promote their brand to members and sponsors alike, in advertising and promotional material, but concurrently attempt to stifle the organic growth of the RBB and active support in general. This is palpable in the proposed implementation of a “members only active ticket†scheme for away matches. Tickets will only be allowed to be purchased at a “one per member†basis, and identification shown with the membership card to prove identity. This eliminates the opportunity for potential “new†active members to attend away matches. The travelling support the RBB has become renowned for will slowly be eradicated.

There is a clear lack of respect and appreciation being shown towards fans, active and non-active as a whole. There are certain instances that affirm this, some at the match on Sunday vs Newcastle Jets;

- The denial of a peaceful statement in the form of a banner was rejected by the powers that be, moments before the message banners reading “Stand United, Never Divided†were to be unveiled. This was contradictory to the fact that the club had confirmed they would not oppose the messages as long as they were neither offensive nor provocative. These message banners were intended to show unity between the RBB and the supporters in the rest of the stadium.

- Overzealous police and riot squad officers intimidating and provoking RBB members at the “request of club and stadium officials†as mentioned by one officer on Sunday. A zero tolerance approach was requested by the club and stadium officials to police. Dozens of riot police were on hand, and needed to justify their presence. This occurred when random RBB members were unjustly targeted, evicted and subsequently served 12 month bans for trivial reasons such as swearing. Some members taken out for questioning had their mobile phones confiscated, and gone through by officers. Police also prevented members from leaving their bays for a period of nearly 15 minutes. Members could not leave to go to the toilet or buy food / drinks. No reason was provided for this.

- Banning of confetti being thrown from the east and west grandstands. Stakeholders and stadium representatives have stated that confetti is not allowed to be thrown in the “non-active†sections, as this is an additional cost that they do not want to have. Confetti can only be used in the active area with prior approval. Some members in the grandstands were threatened to have their memberships revoked by police if confetti was thrown. The club blames the stadium. The stadium blames the stakeholders. Passing the buck at its finest. This is a clear indication of the concern with the bottom line, rather than fan engagement.

The original intention was for the protest to last for a short period, notably half way through the first half, where the message banners would be unveiled, and then chanting would resume as normal. The stand over tactics of police and denial of the banner by the club, police and stadium exacerbated the issue, and forced the continuation of the protest until the 90th minute. The RBB remained in the terrace to the end of the match and applauded the players to let them know that we were there for them.

Nobody is bigger than the club, but a mutual respect is required to maintain a united, sustainable and successful team and active supporter group.

The RBB has worked towards this through working on facilitating TIFO displays, various charity works, match day chants / choreography and the pre-game march, all of which require continuous behind the scenes efforts by members of the RBB, day and night, to ensure that the match day experience is the best. Countless hours and money has been spent by the RBB to make this the best active supporter group in Australia.

The club must recognise this and see it as an asset, not a liability. Recognition not acclaim must be given to all, including non-active supporters, as we are all part of the match day experience. This is all done for no financial gain, but for the passion and pride the RBB has for the team. Unlike the club, the team and supporters are our interest, not the bottom line.

The unity of our fans, the passionate support and the success of our team are our priority. See you at the derby, where it will be business as usual with the takeover of Allianz stadium.

STAND UNITED, NEVER DIVIDED.