Brennan Johnson broke controversial unwritten rule before Tottenham exit

"During this, an 'Aussie rules' football - referred to as a Sherrin - was lobbed at Johnson, who, after momentarily fumbling the catch, retrieved it and kindly tossed it back into the crowd. However, as harmless as this exchange may have appeared, Johnson had unwittingly breached one of Australian sport's most significant unwritten rules."

"Historically, football clubs touring Australia have frequently posed for photographs clutching the iconic Sherrin football. But Football Australia - the governing body for Australian football - has cracked down on this tradition as it promotes a competing version of the game. As a result, visiting football stars have been effectively prohibited from engaging with Aussie rules balls."

"Australian football commentator Lucy Zelic criticised Football Australia for failing to stop what she branded a "f***ing embarrassing" image. Writing on X, she said: "Can someone tell me what the point of this is? Is Marcus suddenly going to switch codes and sign for an AFL side? Go and pat a koala, meet with proud members of our Indigenous communities and spend time with grassroots FOOTBALL clubs.""

During Tottenham's May 2024 tour to Australia, Brennan Johnson inadvertently broke an unspoken rule by catching and returning an Aussie rules football (Sherrin) to fans after an open training session in Melbourne. Football Australia has enforced an unofficial prohibition against visiting football players engaging with Aussie rules equipment, as such interactions promote a competing sport. This ban emerged after football clubs historically posed with Sherrin footballs for photographs. The incident mirrors a 2022 controversy involving Marcus Rashford, whose photograph holding a Sherrin sparked criticism from Australian football commentator Lucy Zelic, who condemned the image as an embarrassing PR exercise that distracted from genuine engagement with Australian football communities and Indigenous groups.

Read at Express.co.uk