Club to face sponsors

Alex de Vos
Torquay Football Club will apologise to its sponsors this weekend for posting an offensive image of the Ku Klux Klan on its website, the club’s manager has announced.
John McMahon said the Tigers would send a letter to its sponsors as well as making an official apology at the club’s annual Sponsors Day on Saturday.
“We’ve also written to Football Geelong apologising for the damage caused,” he said.
“From now on we’ll be monitoring what goes up on our website.”
The club attracted widespread media attention and condemnation after the image appeared on the club site in a promotion for an “All White Night” social event.
The image was withdrawn soon after the first media reports.
The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, is an American white supremacist organisation with a record of violence against African-Americans, Jews and other minorities.
John McMahon said a member posted the picture but it “had nothing to do with the club”.
The club had a “good talk” with the member, who was “very sorry”.
“It wasn’t intended to offend anyone,” Mr McMahon said.
“All he’s done is Google white costumes and put a colleague together – it was not sanctioned by the club.”
Football Geelong chief executive officer Lee Hartman said the Tigers still faced potential disciplinary action.
“We’re meeting with the commission on May 18 and it might be satisfied with the apology or the club might be asked to come before the commission,” Mr Hartman said.
“We have a strong racial and religious policy and do not tolerate this behaviour.”
Victorian County Football League area manager Brett Anderson was “extremely disappointed” about the controversy.
He believed the club should face “some sort of disciplinary action”.
“Torquay has received information about our campaign Bouncing Racism Out of Clubs but it’s hard to get the message out to everyone involved in the club,” Mr Anderson said.
“Something needs to be done because we don’t want those things happening again.”