Peter V’landys, the head of the league and racing, is facing a ferocious backlash over his demand that a Bruno Mars concert be cancelled in order to avoid conflict with The Everest horserace.
On Friday, the CEO of Racing NSW attacked the NSW state government for wanting to have Uptown Funk perform at the opening of the brand-new Sydney Football Stadium.
The world’s richest turf horserace, which will take place at the neighbouring Royal Randwick racetrack on Saturday, October 15, will take place on the second night of the two planned performances.
But angry Sydney residents have attacked Mr. V’landys’ ire over holding two events on the same day, and NSW Premier Dom Perrottet called the rugby league executive’s remarks “stupid.”
On Friday, Mr. Perrottet stated, “If Sydney can’t hold two events at the same time, we may as well be a country backwater…seriously.” He was in Tokyo on business.
We might as well pack our bags and head home if you can’t do that. We live in a world city.
According to the NSW Government, the two performances will draw 50,000 people each night to the new stadium, bring in $16 million for the city, and cost $10 million to bring the American singer to Sydney.
However, Mr. V’landys worries that scheduling both events on the same day will deter spectators from attending his TAB-sponsored Everest race, the centrepiece of the spring racing carnival in NSW and boasting a $15 million prize fund.
It’s incomprehensible, he said to Ben Fordham of 2GB. Nobody would be so stupid, you know.
‘We put a lot of effort into bringing an event to Sydney. It is an indigenous occasion. Why would you jeopardise it by scheduling a one-time pop concert later?
“The traffic will be a mess.” It will diminish the lustre of both occasions. It has no business value. They might have it on a different weekend when it would be just the two of them.
The Victorian Government would never schedule a pop performance on the same days as the AFL Grand Final, he continued.
The controversy arises four years after Mr. V’Landys and radio broadcaster Alan Jones successfully pressured the NSW Government into making an embarrassing policy u-turn and putting Everest race advertisements on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.
However, despite Mr. V’landys’ objections this time, NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres — who claims he has yet to officially approve the Mars agreement — was standing his ground.
Global cities can accomplish several tasks at once, he claimed. If Billy Joel was performing at Madison Square Garden, New York wouldn’t postpone the Yankees’ game, would they?
“We want the best acts performing in the best cities in Australia,” the statement reads.
Sydney residents also criticised the sports executive on social media, charging Mr. V’landys with attempting to dominate not only racing but also rugby league and the entire city.
Why does this man believe he is in charge of the state? one was shared on Facebook. He is just a loudmouth with too much power; he is not an expert.
Another person said, “He is attempting to hold the state hostage.”
‘I fear Perrottet occasionally forgets who run New South Wales – Peter V’Landys,’ a Twitter user cautioned the Premier.
The majority of comments made online questioned why there was a problem.
One user tweeted, “I’m positive the folks that would see Bruno Mars are not the same ones who would attend horse racing.”
And colourful racing character V’landys is deluding himself if he believes that event confrontations will never occur; they do.
Someone else commented, “This guy is whining again! Two entirely different markets Many, if not the majority of people, don’t give a damn about horse races.
One person brought out how convenient it would be to attend both events given that the race was in the afternoon and the concert was in the evening.
They wrote on social media, “I for one couldn’t care less about The Everest, I would much rather go see Bruno Mars.”
‘Frighteningly, some people may choose to attend both on the same day! What’s the big deal about this? To prevent parking problems, people can easily take public transportation.
V’Landys is foolish if he believes the Everest is similar to the AFL Grand Final, a commenter wrote.
“To worry about a Bruno Mars concert merely shows how pointless the occasion is,” the saying goes.
Another user shared a Simpsons meme with the caption “Local man wrecks everything,” showing Homer galloping into a cake while on a bucking donkey.
One further stated, “One of the worst things to happen to NSW has been the development of V’Landys.”
But NSW Labor leader Chris Minns agreed with Mr. V’landys’ request that the Uptown Funk singer’s gigs be moved from the conflicting date.
He stated on Friday, “It’s nice to have the Bruno Mars concert, it’s great to open the stadium.” ‘ But why must everything occur on the same day?
It’s an illustration of how the government doesn’t consider how to create a festival-like atmosphere over a lengthy period of time, instead of just throwing events on the same night, according to the events calendar.
It’s been a chance to schedule it for a Friday night, the Everest for the following day, and give people the option of attending both events or just one of them.
Get your coordination in order, let’s discuss our alternatives, and let’s carry out these tasks in a professional manner.
A request for comment regarding the influential sports executive’s response went unanswered by Ticketek, whose owners TEG live by the maxim “Life is better lived.”