Qantas boss Alan Joyce says he fully supports Rugby Australia’s tough stance against Israel Folau

Qantas boss Alan Joyce says he fully supports Rugby Australia’s tough stance against Israel Folau.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce has broken his silence over Israel Folau.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has broken his silence over the Israel Folau controversy, saying he fully supports Rugby Australia’s tough response to the star player’s posts on social media.

The boss of Rugby Australia’s major sponsor said he was “quite happy’’ with the actions of RA chief Raelene Castle and her board which has moved to terminate the $4 million contract of Folau over his social media activities.

“We don’t sponsor something to get involved in controversy. That’s not part of the deal,” Mr Joyce told Nine’s Australian Financial Review. “We expect our partners to take the appropriate action. It’s their issue, they have to deal with it’’

MORE: What happened inside Folau’s hearing; Alan Jones writes Folau has become a metaphor for the modern Australia

Folau was this week found by an independent panel, convened by Rugby Australia, to have committed a high-level breach of its professional players’ code of conduct.

Mr Joyce said that Qantas chose to sponsor brands it considered had the right management to run their organisations.

He added: “It’s not an issue for Qantas, it’s an issue for every potential sponsor for Rugby Australia, ever.

“They have to manage it . . . and shame on you if it happens a second time. That’s the way we approach it in the aviation industry, and we expect these organisations to be the same.”

While these are the first personal remarks by Mr Joyce, who is gay, Qantas issued a statement following Folau’s initial anti-gay comments last year saying they “clearly don’t reflect the spirit of inclusion and diversity that we support.”

Israel Folau leaves the Code of Conduct hearing in Sydney this week.

Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle wants Folau's contract terminated.

Folau, a 30-year-old devout Christian, appeared this week before the code of conduct hearing to fight Rugby Australia’s decision to terminate his contract after he posted in mid-April on social media that gay people, along with other “sinners,” will face damnation unless they repent.

It was the second time in a year that Folau has made anti-gay comments. Last year, Rugby Australia issued a warning but no punishment.

In April, Castle wasn’t as forgiving. Castle said while Folau was entitled to his religious beliefs, “the way in which he has expressed these beliefs is inconsistent with the values of the sport. We want to make it clear that he does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts.

“Israel has failed to understand ... that he cannot share material on social media that condemns, vilifies or discriminates against people on the basis of their sexuality.”

After a marathon sitting over several days, the independent panel agreed Folau’s actions were a “high-level” breach of the sport’s code of conduct, with his punishment to be handed down after final deliberations.

Sportswear manufacturer Asics this week cancelled its personal sponsorship of Folau, stating his views were not aligned with the company.

“Asics is dedicated to sport and its healthy contribution to society. We believe sport is for everyone and we champion inclusivity and diversity,” it said in a statement.

“While Israel Folau is entitled to his personal views, some of those expressed in recent social media posts are not aligned with those of Asics.

“As such, our partnership with Israel has become untenable and he will no longer represent Asics as a brand ambassador.”

Rugby Australia’s major sponsors are Qantas, Asics and Land Rover.

Qantas is also a major sponsor of Football Federation Australia, the Australian Olympic Committee, Tokyo 2020, Paralympics Australia, Basketball Australia and Cricket Australia.

With agencies