Monday 3 October 2022 06:45 AM Sydney United fans slammed as 'embarrassing' by Australian sports presenter ... trends now
An Australian-Croatian TV presenter has weighed in on the 'embarrassing and devastating' scenes at the Australia Cup final, which saw some Sydney United fans perform Nazi Salutes and boo during the Welcome to Country.
Lucy Zelić, who was most recently a sports presenter for SBS, is the latest in a string of high-profile presenters, athletes and commentators to slam the disgraceful display witnessed by tens of thousands of fans on Saturday night.
Some followers of United, formerly known as Sydney Croatia, were heard singing Za Dom Spremni (For Homeland - Ready), a chant used by the far-right Ustase movement in the 1930s and 1940s, at the game.
Distressing images and videos that did the rounds on social media also appeared to show fans performing fascist-style salutes during the match.
Lucy Zelić, who was most recently a sports presenter for SBS, is the latest in a string of high-profile presenters, athletes and commentators to slam the disgraceful display from some Sydney United fans during the Australia Cup Final on Saturday
Zelić took to Twitter on Sunday to call out the behaviour of 'so-called fans' whose disrespect overshadowed the match held at Sydney's Commbank Stadium (pictured)
Some could also be heard singing and allegedly booing during the national anthem and the traditional Welcome to Country ahead of the game against Macarthur.
Zelić took to Twitter on Sunday to call out the behaviour of 'so-called fans' whose disrespect overshadowed the match held at Sydney's Commbank Stadium.
'What happened at last night's @AustraliaCup Final was shocking and simply devastating, and I didn't want to believe it,' she tweeted.
'It was the first time I felt embarrassed by the actions of my fellow countrymen, and I wasn't alone. Their beliefs and behaviour aren't a true representation of Croatians, just as the actions of fans aren't ever representative of a football club.
'What's worse, is that many of them appeared to be teenagers who simply don't know how deeply the ramifications of their actions run.'
Zelić added that she knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of racism and was often told, 'f**k of back to Croatia wog'.
She said this had made her confused, because Australia had always felt like home.
Pictures of fans with their right arm raised in what appeared to be a Nazi salute quickly went viral on social media during the game and has seen been widely condemned
The journalist said the fans found guilty of the Nazi salutes should be hit with lifetime bans from future games as well as 'face the full arm of the law'.
More importantly, she said fans should be made to complete an 'education course on history' and be confronted photos from Nazi concentration camps and listen to stories from holocaust survivors.
'I'm so pleased that our football community stood up to condemn the actions and hold people to account but language around this is also important and can be as divisive as it can be unifying,' she tweeted.
'Celebrating our culture and
