22 July 2026
Mr Dan Birrell
Chief Executive Officer Football Victoria
Dear Mr Birrell,
Response to the Formal Complaint Regarding Offensive and Discriminatory Conduct by Preston Lions FC Supporters – South Melbourne FC v Preston Lions FC, Saturday 18 July 2026
On behalf of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), we express our profound disappointment and concern regarding the offensive and discriminatory behaviour displayed by supporters associated with Preston Lions FC during the match on 18 July 2026.
Among the banners and slogans displayed were:
- “Greek Chicks Have Hairy Tits”
- “Hate Hellas”
- “Anti Hell-Ass”
These messages extend far beyond football rivalry. They are sexist, culturally offensive and deliberately designed to demean and vilify members of the Greek Australian community.
The banner targeting Greek women is particularly reprehensible. It constitutes a sexualised and misogynistic attack on women and girls of Greek heritage and is fundamentally inconsistent with the values of equality, respect and inclusion that Australian sport seeks to uphold.
Similarly, slogans promoting hatred towards “Hellas” and using derogatory variations of the word are clearly intended to incite hostility towards an ethnic community rather than encourage legitimate sporting rivalry.
Equally concerning is that these messages were displayed in a venue attended by families and children. Football grounds should be places where diversity is celebrated and respect is modelled, not where young people are exposed to sexism, ethnic vilification and organised displays of hatred. For more than 125 years, the Greek Community of Melbourne has made significant contributions to the social, cultural and sporting life of Victoria. South Melbourne Football Club has been central to the history of Australian football and to the successful settlement of generations of migrants. Conduct of this nature is deeply offensive to our community and has no place in our game.
Accordingly, we call upon Football Victoria to:
- Conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the events of 18 July
- Identify those responsible for producing and displaying the offensive banners and
- Impose the strongest disciplinary sanctions available under the Competition Rules, including appropriate penalties against Preston Lions FC should responsibility be established
- Require Preston Lions FC to publicly condemn the behaviour and outline measures to prevent any
- Reinforce to all affiliated clubs that sexism, racism, ethnic vilification and discriminatory conduct will attract significant
Football Victoria has both a responsibility and a duty to ensure that football remains a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all participants and supporters, regardless of ethnicity, culture, religion or gender. When conduct so clearly breaches these standards, decisive action is essential.
Failure to respond robustly risks undermining years of work to eliminate discrimination from our game and may be perceived as tolerating behaviour that is entirely incompatible with the values of Victorian football.
We therefore urge Football Victoria to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness and impose sanctions that send an unequivocal message that misogyny, racism and ethnic vilification have no place in our sport.
We look forward to your prompt response and to learning what actions Football Victoria intends to take.
Yours sincerely,
Jorge Menidis Executive Officer Per the
Board of Management of the Greek Community of Melbourne
photo JanaAu, https://pixabay.com
