Footy fan condemned for ‘Holocaust’ comment on Facebook after Adelaide Crows defeat the Power in Showdown
PORT Adelaide Football Club has condemned a Facebook post mocking the one-sided Showdown as the world’s most notorious genocide — as a pitch invader says he was just trying to help Port.
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PORT Adelaide Football Club has condemned a social media post mocking the one-sided Showdown as “the Holocaust”.
A post on Facebook on Sunday night said “if Port Adelaide FC were Jewish, that was the Holocaust” — a message the club has slammed as “disgraceful”.
The post — by an unidentified fan who shared the unofficial supporters group Adelaide Crows Pride’s photo shortly after the match — also used the hashtag “#gassing” and heart emojis in Crows colours.
It was not the only ugly incident on social media following Showdown 43, with another Adelaide Crows supporter using racial slurs against Port Adelaide forward Jarman Impey.
The supporter wrote: “you should get that little monkey impey to learn how to kick a ball”.
Both Adelaide clubs quickly condemned the anti-social behaviour.
“The AFL and its clubs do a significant amount in the community to educate supporters around the importance of respect and equality regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation,” Port Adelaide general manager Matthew Richardson said.
“Social media unfortunately provides a platform at times for people to express views that set out to alarm and gain attention, and this post is clearly an example of that.
“The comments in this post are disgraceful regardless, but to connect them to a game of football is extremely disappointing.”
A Crows spokesman said: “Our club strongly condemns any anti-social behaviour of any kind.”
Rabbi Shosana Kaminsky of Beit Shalom Synagogue said such social media behaviour should not be given further attention.
“We are doing ourselves a disservice if we were to give them (anti-semitic comments) oxygen,” she said.
“You can find millions of Facebook posts about the Holocaust and imagery that are so far out there, it doesn’t do anybody any favours to draw them out.”
This is the latest in a series of embarrassing examples of racism in football over the past two seasons, including the throwing of a banana at Eddie Betts and a Port fan’s shocking comments about rival players.
In April, Crows and Power indigenous players stood side-by-side, with their club bosses, team leaders and coaches, at Adelaide Oval to send a message they will no longer tolerate racial slurs from the terraces.
Meanwhile, a pitch invader who ran on to Adelaide Oval during Showdown 43 says he has no regrets over the security breach and simply wanted to kick a goal for his struggling Port Adelaide.
But Jeremy Cortvriend, 29, is now facing a hefty fine and has been banned from the Oval for three months after the drunken antic at Sunday’s clash.
The Parafield Gardens man jumped the fence and dashed on to the field during the third quarter of the game, stopping play for several minutes while security guards chased him down and escorted him from the grounds.
Police arrested Cortvriend at the venue and charged him under the Recreation and Grounds Act with entering a playing field, which carries a maximum fine of $5000.
He was also banned from entering Adelaide Oval for three months.
Cortvriend told The Advertiser he decided to run onto the oval to “lift” his team — Port Adelaide was being comprehensively beaten by the Crows. The end score was 130 to 46 points.
He said he’d drunk six pints of beer before the incident.
“We just had a few drinks and the team was getting smashed so I thought one if us had better get on the field and help out,” he said.
“If I kept running straight I would have made it to the other side.”
Cortvriend offered an apology for his behaviour.
“A lot of people think I’m a dickhead for doing it and I probably am.
“To the Power fans ... I apologise but to the fruit tingles (the Crows) they don’t deserve an apology.”
Cortvriend was granted police bail and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in September.
Adelaide Oval chief executive officer Andrew Daniels said: “We look forward to enforcing the venue ban issued by (SA Police)”.
“This is not a question about security measures,” he said.
“Rather, it is about individuals acting irresponsibly in search of 15 seconds of media fame.
“We condone neither the running on to the field, nor the glorification by media of individuals who do so.”