By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
DANDENONG Thunder officials were last week weighing up a Supreme Court challenge against a five home-game spectator ban imposed by a Football Federation Australia appeals committee.
The club had hoped the ban would include away fixtures but a clarification by the appeals committee last week thwarted that hope.
Thunder spokesman Sezar Jacupi said the club was “reviewing” the decision “which brought into question the survival of the club”.
It has sought an extension to pay a $40,000 fine from the FFA, due this week.
The hefty penalty came after rocket flares were fired from among Thunder supporters at last year’s Victorian Premier League grand final. One of the flares injured two children.
Jacupi said the penalty could potentially derail Thunder’s chances of playing in next year’s National Premier League.
“It is going to be so hard to effectively get through this. Our intent and focus is on survival this year. With this ruling, if we accept it, our first open home game [this year] is in round nine, on June 15. The first three months of the season are lock-outs and we will have no income to any games.”
Jacupi said it was difficult to sign up members and sponsors. “We’ve been trying but how do we effectively survive till round nine? We have outgoings to staff, FFV registration and the fine that’s still outstanding.”
He said the FFA’s advice that the club had no appeal rights to the decision was a “denial of natural justice”. A decision to apply for a Supreme Court injunction would best be made before the club’s first home game on April 13.
“We’ll be meeting with our barristers. You can’t go into the Supreme Court willy-nilly, without any money. It’s not like it’s a $50 fee.”
In the clarification, the appeals committee stated the five-game lockout applied to home games for the knockout cup and the Victorian Premier League.
“It was never suggested that the sanctions should cover away games, nor would we have jurisdiction to make such orders in the absence of the clubs in question, so in reaching our decision we had plainly intended to exclude spectators from home games only.”
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