Lift the ban and free Tāma!
No more silence. No more drama. Lift the ban. Let’s free Tāma
Fearing defeat in a half-time mascot race, the Wellington Phoenix has banned Tāma the Kingfisher from Sky Stadium.
The Auckland FC mascot was too upset to speak to us about the ban (tbf he can’t speak), instead, he flew down to the Beehive to launch a petition in the hope for getting the ban overturned.
The official Auckland FC petition seeks to lift the ban on Tāma’s attendance at this, and at all future derby games down in Wellington.
An Auckland FC spokesperson and Tāma interpreter, 37, said he was appalled that Tāma, an innocent symbol of Auckland FC, had been banned from Sky Stadium.
“To ban a kid’s mascot from a half-time mascot race is frankly some of the most egregious behaviour I have ever come across. It is why we have launched this petition and travelled to Parliament, the home of fairness and decency, to get this decision overturned.”
The Wellington Phoenix play the return fixture on December 6 at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium.
“When others go low, we go high, that’s why we are inviting Nixie, the second-best mascot in the A-League, to our home at Go Media Stadium to experience our superior Black Knight Lounge hospitality offering. We won’t even charge them the cost of a ticket and are happy to remove chicken from the menu,” added the spokesperson.
