Perth Glory Chairman Tony Sage has issued an open apology to fans of the club after suggesting he would turn his back on the Glory, after being booed and abused by fans following the team’s crushing 2-1 home loss to Melbourne Heart.
Perth Glory Chairman Tony Sage has issued an open apology to fans of the club after suggesting he would turn his back on the Glory. Sage, who was booed and abused by fans following the team-s crushing 2-1 home loss to Melbourne Heart
Angry Glory fans booed their underperforming side, coach Ian Ferguson and abused Sage after the loss, all the while calling for the coach and Chairman to be sacked or step down and as a result Sage threatened to walk away from the club he has invested $10 million of his own money in.
However via an open letter, Sage appears to have reversed his mindset and is keen to stay with the club, blaming the emotion of the moment and his own poor judgement for his earlier comments, while stating that like everyone else at Glory games he too at his core is simply a Perth Glory fan.
“Let me start by saying that I am first and foremost a mad, passionate Perth Glory fan and a lover of the great game of football. Nothing gives me greater pleasure and personal joy than watching our boys playing attacking and attractive football and achieving success on the pitch,” Sage said.
“On the flip side, I feel the agony and bitterness of defeat when the team loses, and like many passionate fans, I experience a roller-coaster of raw emotions throughout each season.
“There are times when that passion, mixed with a healthy dose of frustration and a burning desire for improvement cause my feelings to overflow.
“Sometimes I speak out in response to what I regard as ignorant or ill-informed attacks on the players and coach, and other times I speak out to try and generate some excitement and buzz around the club, and get our supporters and members excited. At times like these I’ve been known to express my views openly in public,and perhaps unwisely, to the media.
“Recently I made some comments in an interview which I now regret.
“These comments were reported correctly and in full and I know the interview created headlines in the Perth newspapers and generated a strong response from our supporters and members, but at the end of the day I now regret making the comments attributed to me and I wish to affirm my intention of remaining the owner of Perth Glory.”
Within the letter Sage also apologised to supporters of the club who may have been upset by his comments, while thanking others for the support they gave him in the wake of the loss to Melbourne Heart.
To read the full letter click here.
While Sage, Ferguson and the players will want to give fans an early Christmas present with a win over Central Coast Mariners at nib Stadium they will have the job ahead of them, the table-topping Mariners have not been beaten since week three and started their streak with a 2-1 win over the Glory in week four.
