STICK IT WHERE SUNS DON’T SHINE
OUR TEAM TO KOCHIE ON CHINA JERSEY ROW:
THE Gold Coast Suns are leaving Port Adelaide president David Koch red-faced over the jumper row not even the AFL will touch before their historic clash in China.
The Suns are disputing Mr Koch’s claim that there is a contractual demand for Gold Coast to abandon its red andhome jumper – that resembles the Chinese national flag – to wear white in Shanghai on May 14.
And the Suns have rebuffed Mr Koch’s threat to have Gold Coast never again invited to China, saying it is the AFL – and not the Power boss – which will decide who plays and where on the premiership calendar.
Gold Coast presented its red jumper as its official uniform for the game at an AFL managed media presentation in Shanghai yesterday.
The AFL is refusing to enter the stoush with league executive Travis Auld repeating that the Gold Coast is listed as the home team – and league rules allow the Suns to stay in red while Port Adelaide will wear black.
Suns chairman Tony Cochrane said he would not “get into a stoush” with Mr Koch, a long-standing friend, out of respect for his work in refloating the once-ailing Port Adelaide Football Club.
But Mr Cochrane invited the Bulletin to run past the AFL the explosive remarks Mr Koch made on an Adelaide radio station during a Power trial last Friday.
Mr Koch said: “It is in our contract that they will play their away strip.”
Gold Coast responds: “There is no written agreement.”
Mr Koch said: “I’ve said this quite clearly from the start – if you want this to be only a one-year project for you, then you wear your home strip. If you want to be our partner for a number of years ... well then you’ll wear your away strip.
“It’s not an ultimatum, it’s just very clear where we’re coming from. We’re paying you half-a-million dollars to buy your home game.”
Gold Coast responds: “The AFL – not Koch – has full responsibility for the league calendar.”
The Suns also dismissed claims they have brought nothing to the commercial table for the game that will mark the first AFL premiership match played outside Australia and New Zealand.
This was backed up yesterday with Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Steven Ciobo – also a Gold Coast MP – announcing in Shanghai that Tourism Australia would financially back the May 14 match.
The Tourism Australia logo will appear on both the Suns and Power jumpers.
Mr Cochrane said Queensland Tourism and Gold Coast Tourism would also be sponsors of the match.
“We’ve played a role too,” he said. “We’ve used our marketing power too, particularly when China ranks at No.1 in the Queensland tourism market.”
It’s in our contract they will play their awaystrip DAVID KOCH