Billionaire Roosters icon lashes Sydney FC's 'petty' cross-code act

Billionaire Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis has out at a "petty" move from Sydney FC that's kicked off a cross-code war between the NRL club and the A-League football franchise.

Sydney FC officials caused uproar after covering up a Roosters logo at Allianz Stadium, before their first A-League match at the recently completed stadium against Melbourne Victory last Saturday night.

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The Roosters officially opened the $874 million stadium (formerly known as the Sydney Football Stadium) in last month's NRL round 25 clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Despite sharing the state government-funded ground with several other teams across multiple codes in Sydney - including the Sky Blues football team - the Roosters have an illuminated sign reading: “Home of the Sydney Roosters” adorned across the outside of the stadium.

The move has ruffled some feathers in the Sydney sporting landscape, with Sydney FC taking matters into their own hands by covering up the Roosters sign with a $150 Bunnings tarp before their A-League debut at the new ground.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Roosters chief executive Joe Kelly and Sydney FC boss Adam Santo had a heated phone conversation about the issue on Tuesday.

“I told him what he’d done was the equivalent of vandalism,” Kelly told the News Corp publication.

“I also told him we’d be looking at our legal options, then he hung up on me.”

It's understood the Roosters contacted Venues NSW to complain about the Sydney FC move, with an agreement in place to turn the lights on the sign off when the A-League club and Super Rugby franchise the NSW Waratahs play home matches at the stadium.

Football Australia marketing boss Peter Filipoulos accused the Roosters of self-entitlement in a stunning swipe at the NRL club on social media.

He tweeted: “Bizarre! How can a club from a rival code expect their brand be illuminated in-stadium at a shared government funded stadium at a co-tenant’s matches (from another code mind you) is beyond mind boggling.

“Reads like self entitlement & an inflated sense of importance over others.”

However, Politis took aim at the A-League club after stressing that the Roosters had paid to have the privilege of having their signage around the stadium.

“They obviously don’t understand our history,” Politis told The Daily Telegraph.

“We’ve been on this site with three stadiums for 86 years. How long have they been around?

“What they did with the tarpaulin looked so hideous on a beautiful new $900 million stadium.

“They just have a ground hire agreement.

“We paid for our own facilities and we pay rent for the space we use.

“It’s in our contract that the signage is part of that agreement.”

The Roosters were reportedly entitled to signage at the ground after paying $12.5 million for a high-performance centre at the venue - presumably bankrolled by their billionaire chairman, Politis.

Prime Minister takes issue with Roosters signage

The issue also came to a head during a charity backyard cricket event in Kirribilli on Thursday, when Prime Minister and proud South Sydney Rabbitohs fan Anthony Albanese was filmed arguing about the signage with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

The Daily Telegraph posted a video of the animated discussion between the PM and the NSW Premier on social media.

"It's got a Roosters sign, how have they done that?," Mr Albanese asked.

The Premier and Sydney radio identity Ryan Fitzgerald laughed at what they assumed was a joke from the Prime Minister, before Mr Albanese had another crack.

"No tear it down," the PM insisted.

Mr Perrottet responded by telling the Prime Minister: “I don’t want it to be an exclusive ground.

“We can tear it down."

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