Football coach Zacharis Imisides appeals suspension over alleged Snapchat messages to teen player

A Sydney football coach is in a legal fight against the sport’s governing body after he was suspended for allegedly sending Snapchat messages – including ‘your smile is dangerous” – to a 14-year-old player.

A Sydney football coach is in a legal fight against the sport’s governing body after he was suspended for allegedly sending Snapchat messages – including ‘your smile is dangerous” – to a 14-year-old girl.

Zacharis Imisides, 41, was issued a four-year suspension by the Football NSW General Purposes Tribunal over a string of alleged messages sent via Snapchat while Mr Imisides worked as a coach for a Sydney Olympic FC girls team.

No criminal charges have been laid.

The tribunal – in its published decision – stated the alleged messages sent to the teenager included: “Your smile is dangerous” and “good luck been thinking bout (about) u (you) x.”

On the girl’s birthday, another alleged message sent via Snapchat allegedly read: “I will be waiting for my birthday kiss.”

Zachary Imisides has appealed the tribunal decision.

Mr Imisides has strongly refuted sending the messages which he claimed had been sent via Snapchat by other people who are known to him.

The tribunal decision stated that Mr Imisides told the tribunal the messages were “taken out of context” and claimed “that if the full context of each text was made available then it would be clear that each text would be viewed as innocent”.

He also told the tribunal the messages were not sexual in nature and that he did not know what the letter “x” represented in the messages.

Mr Imisides was suspended from all football related activities including coaching.

Football NSW argued the messages were “wholly unacceptable” and that there “was a significant imbalance in the relative power” between Mr Imisides and the teenager.

The tribunal – in its published decision – stated it “simply did not believe” that Mr Imisides “was unaware of the clear message” the letter ‘x’ conveyed in the alleged messages sent to the teenager.

The tribunal found the alleged conduct constituted an offence under Football NSW regulations, the Football Australia national code of conduct and ethics, and the Football Australia member protection framework.

The four year suspension means Mr Imisides is banned from all football related activities including coaching, training or attending any Football NSW matches.

Mr Imisides told The Daily Telegraph he has lodged an appeal against the tribunal decision, which is publicly available online.

“I’m not worried about the suspension but the way (the tribunal decision) is written doesn’t look right and isn’t correct,” he said.

“It’s damaging to my name and 100 per cent I’m appealing it.”

The teenage girl and her family did not appear as witnesses or provide any written submissions to the tribunal.

According to the tribunal, Mr Imisides claimed he only used Snapchat at the request of the teenager’s mother as a way of improving the teenager’s confidence and that her mother was aware of all of the texts.

The tribunal stated that “given the unavailability of any evidence from (the teeanger) it was unable to test this claim.”