Adelaide Oval ban for fan who slapped Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood
UPDATE: The AFL fan who slapped Western Bulldogs premiership captain Easton Wood has been banned from Adelaide Oval for the rest of the season.
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ADELAIDE Oval officials have banned the footy fan who slapped Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood from the ground for the rest of the season.
The ban is applied by the Oval’s Stadium Management Authority — rather than the Adelaide Football Club — because the offending fan is not a member of the Crows. He had borrowed a membership ticket for Friday night’s AFL game.
The Crows on Wednesday declared a joint club-SMA investigation had identified the fan “who is not a club member and had borrowed the ticket from an acquaintance.”
“The SMA has banned the person involved from attending AFL games at Adelaide Oval for the rest of the season,” the club added in a statement.
“The Crows member who lent their ticket is extremely remorseful the incident occurred and has received a warning from the club.”
The Crows also issued a reminder to members — who are encourage to pass on their tickets rather than leave empty seats at Adelaide Oval — that “members who lend their tickets to others to remind them about responsible behaviour while attending games.”
Opinion across the AFL is divided on whether the fan should be hit with a warning, fine or ban. The Crows say the AFL is satisfied with the sanction delivered by the SMA.
Wood at the weekend said: “I certainly wasn’t hurt or anything like that. I was a bit surprised.
“My preference would be to be able to go to work and not get slapped on the arse by a complete stranger.
“I’ll be fine and hopefully it doesn’t happen again,” he told Channel Seven.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire was surprised the fan was not ejected from Adelaide Oval immediately after the incident.
“If you lean over, you should be thrown immediately out of the ground,” he said.
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au
Originally published as Adelaide Oval ban for fan who slapped Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood
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