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Port Adelaide president David Koch has told the Gold Coast Suns if they wear red-and-gold jumpers in their match in Shanghai, it will be the last time they are invited to China.
The Suns have refused to back down from wearing their home jumper of red-and-gold, which are also China's national colours, when the teams square off on May 14 in the first AFL match to take place in the country.
"The AFL is going to have to rule on it because it's distracting from the absolute historic event that this China game is all about," David Koch told Radio FIVEaa on Tuesday.
While the Suns are listed as the home team, Koch said the Power had paid them $500,000 for all rights to the match as if they were the home club.
"Gold Coast is playing silly buggers," he said.
"We're the club leading the AFL into China, we have bought this game and paid good money for it, we're the ones that are committed for the next 10 years to play a game in China each year."
Koch repeated his threat that this would be the first and last time the Suns are asked to play in China, saying there are plenty of other clubs who want to "leverage our work in China".
"As I've said to Tony Cochrane, if you wear the red-and-gold jumper it'll be the last time we'll ever play you in China. It's up to you," he said.
"And really [it's] up to the AFL to make a decision on this and we'll abide by the decision."
Last week Gold Coast chairman Cochrane said there was no written agreement about which jumpers the teams would wear, and dismissed Koch's ultimatum.
"The AFL — not Koch — has full responsibility for the league calendar," he told The Advertiser.
AAP
Topics: australian-football-league, sport, adelaide-5000, sa, carrara-4211, qld, australia, china
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