When the Vancouver Whitecaps work on improving their play on the soccer field, a Campbell River fan hopes the team will work on its off-field play as well.
Joshua Griffith was at the centre of another storm of controversy involving the Major League Soccer franchise. On Thursday Griffith was told he was banned from attending the last three games of the Whitecaps含羞草研究社� season after he displayed an anti-fascist and anti-racist sign at a recent game at B.C. Place against New York City FC on Aug. 31.
The sign said 含羞草研究社�#AUnitedFront Against Racism, Against Fascism含羞草研究社� on one side and showed the Iron Front symbol on the other. When he brought it to the stadium, security staff went through his bags like they always do and nobody said anything. It wasn含羞草研究社檛 until the end of the game with five minutes left to go that somebody came up to him and told him that the sign contravened team and league policy and they hadn含羞草研究社檛 been approved. All signs have to be approved by the team but Griffith said he含羞草研究社檚 never had that done for any of his signs.
On Thursday, Griffith tweeted about his ban after receiving a phone call from a Whitecaps representative informing him of it. Since that tweet went out, Griffith含羞草研究社檚 phone 含羞草研究社渉asn含羞草研究社檛 stopped ringing含羞草研究社� with calls from various media outlets.
So I just received a Call from the and apparantly because doesnt check the signs that I have been bringing in every game I have been Banned for the remaining 3 matches
含羞草研究社� Joshua (@JoshuaGriffith0)
Shortly after the story got out, Griffith received another call from the team saying he wasn含羞草研究社檛 supposed to get a ban but instead was only supposed to get a warning. There had been an internal 含羞草研究社渃ommunication error.含羞草研究社�
Griffith hopes the team learns from that error.
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檇 like to see them improve what they含羞草研究社檙e doing going forward,含羞草研究社� Griffith said, 含羞草研究社渁nd maybe, you know, learn from their mistake, get some processes in place.含羞草研究社�
For example, Griffith doesn含羞草研究社檛 understand why the three-game ban came in the form of a phone call from a team representative. He would have thought something like that would come in a formal letter on team letterhead either mailed or emailed to him.
含羞草研究社淗opefully, they can improve on how they do things in the future,含羞草研究社� Griffith said.
The team was at the centre of controversy earlier in the season after a former player, Ciara McCormak, wrote a blog speaking out about abusive behaviour by a former coach with the Whitecaps women含羞草研究社檚 team in 2007 and 2008, Bob Birarda. The lack of action or acknowledgement by the current team lead to the team含羞草研究社檚 supporters groups, Southsiders and Curva Collective, staging in-game walkouts to demand action. That eventually lead to the team meeting with players affected, issuing an apology and engaging an outside consultant to review the actions taken in 2008.
The league and the team have a policy of not allowing 含羞草研究社減olitical含羞草研究社� signs to be displayed at MLS games. That policy has put the league and teams at odds with supporters who have taken to displaying messages against fascism and racism in other stadiums across the league. The issue has been particularly focused on the Pacific Northwest where supporters groups in Portland have been prominent on this issue.
A specific symbol that supporters have been using has been at the centre of the controversy. It含羞草研究社檚 the Iron Front symbol which originated with opponents to the Nazis in the 1930s in Germany. Because it was associated with a specific political movement in the 1930s, MLS has deemed it as a political symbol which contravenes league sign policy.
Griffith always brings signs to the Whitecaps games. He has travelled from the Island to home games at Vancouver含羞草研究社檚 BC Place stadium eight times this year and even went to watch the Whitecaps play Portland in the Oregon city. He含羞草研究社檚 only recently become a Whitecaps fan, becoming a supporter about three years ago.
The timing of the controversy over the sign is unfortunate because Griffith was considering buying season含羞草研究社檚 tickets and had phoned the team enquiring about them. In fact, when he received a call from the team on Thursday and saw the team含羞草研究社檚 number on call display, he thought it was about his season ticket request. Instead, it was to be informed about the three-game ban.
Many Whitecaps fans have taken to social media forums to talk about not renewing their season tickets because the team has been playing so poorly 含羞草研究社� they currently sit in last place in MLS含羞草研究社� western division. Particularly galling is the perceived lack of spending of a windfall the team received from the development and selling of Canadian soccer phenom Alphonso Davies to German soccer giants FC Bayern Munich for what could be as much as $22 million. Fans had hoped to see that money put into acquiring big name players like rival teams across MLS 含羞草研究社� particularly Canadian rival Toronto 含羞草研究社� have done in order to develop a winning team.
Griffith has taken signs to every game he含羞草研究社檚 been to. They含羞草研究社檙e usually of the 含羞草研究社淕o Whitecaps含羞草研究社� variety or cheering on certain players.
But he decided to start bringing a sign to show his support for the anti-fascist and anti-racist positions that other supporters groups in the league have been taking.
含羞草研究社淚 think it含羞草研究社檚 an important message to send,含羞草研究社� Griffith said.
He even suggested the team could do something to send a similar message after this controversy. Ironically, MLS and the Whitecaps both have official anti-racism campaigns and Griffith sent the Whitecaps an email suggesting they could do something to affirm its support for those kinds of messages after this recent controversy. A sign of its own on the field or something like that.
含羞草研究社淭ake a negative situation and use it to send a positive message,含羞草研究社� Griffith said.
The team has extended an apology to Griffith and he含羞草研究社檚 willing to put the controversy behind him.
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