Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy says he meant nothing untoward by Sunday’s comments in which he described Western Sydney Wanderers’ A-League success as getting a leg-up from the “immigration department”.
While pondering the crowd of just 5830 that turned up to see the Giants against Adelaide, the lowest at a regular-season AFL match since Fitzroy’s final year of existence in 1996, Sheedy suggested soccer in Sydney had a distinct advantage.
“We don’t have the recruiting officer called the immigration department, recruiting fans for Western Sydney Wanderers. We don’t have that on our side,” he said.
His comments triggered a Twitter backlash.
Sheedy was branded a “muppet” by Wellington Phoenix’s Sydney-born captain Andrew Durante, labelled a disgrace by soccer pundit Craig Foster and plenty worse by a plethora of fans.
It came just over two weeks after Sheedy met with the immigration department in Canberra, discussing the concept of his side’s round-19 clash with Melbourne becoming an iconic game to celebrate diversity.
Sheedy, an anti-racism campaigner who has worked to improve indigenous-player pathways in his 29-year coaching career, on Monday stuck by his comments while looking to add context and perspective.
“No, no, no. Not at all (do I wish I didn’t say that). It’s a throwaway line to make sure that everybody understands that is why soccer can get such a quick crowd,” Sheedy said in Sydney.
“And of course, quite amazingly why it’s taken so long to put another (A-League) team in the west, because they’ve got an enormous fan base there.
“… When I said the immigration department was one of the best recruiting agencies for soccer, well I didn’t mean anything untoward by that. But it’s a fact.”
In a wide-ranging press conference that covered the plight of indigenous Australians and the nation’s immigration policy, Sheedy talked of the barriers he felt he’d broken down regarding sport and race – adding that: “I don’t think indigenous people would call me a racist”.
The 65-year-old suggested he was thick-skinned enough to cope with the abuse that has been directed his way on social media.
“Racist is a pretty broad term. But people have their opinions,” the four-time premiership coach said.
“Our job is to get out there and get on the front foot, withstanding – not to hurt anyone’s feelings.
“But I think people just get a bit touchy on certain things, and I’m not touchy in that area at all.”