Channel 9 boss Ray WardropLast December, the West Perth Football Club was fined $20,000 after Channel 7 demanded that it would only broadcast games featuring West Perth if the players’ jumpers did not display the logo of their rival broadcaster, Channel 9, who was also a sponsor of the Falcons.
Channel 9’s boss, Ray Wardrop, expressed his disapproval of the fine, calling it harsh and unnecessary. “It was an honest mistake by one of the players, and the club even reprimanded him for it,” Wardrop said. He added that the WAFC’s decision to impose such a severe penalty seemed overly harsh and “a bit childish.”
In September, Channel 9 agreed to have its logo replaced on West Perth’s jumpers by the logo of Variety WA, a children’s charity, to allow the WAFL grand final to be televised.
Before the game, West Perth players took a photo in the locker room wearing jumpers with the Channel 9 logo. The players then changed into jumpers featuring the Variety WA logo before taking the field, except for one player who forgot to switch. The club later photoshopped the photo to show the Variety logo instead.
West Perth’s president, Brett Raponi, confirmed that the WAFC had accused the club of bringing the game into disrepute but argued that no one at the stadium likely noticed the error. The club was fined $10,000, with $7,500 suspended unless another offense occurs. Raponi expressed disappointment with the outcome but stated that the club would accept the decision and move forward.
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