Bubbling tensions real concern for A-League
Columnist By Adrian Musolino, 17 Oct 2011 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- A-League, A-League crowds, Adelaide United, FFA, football, Football Federation Australia, Melbourne Victory
Something’s not right when 10 arrests at the Adelaide United versus Melbourne Victory match, described by South Australian police as a “pleasing result” given the crowd number and feeling amongst both sets of supporters, creates widespread negative headlines; fuelling “soccer hooligan” lines.
But while supporters of the game are quick to blame what they perceive as the “anti-soccer” media, ultimate blame does lie with the idiotic fans involved in such stupid acts for giving the media something to report.
Knowing the mainstream media’s previous eagerness to report on such clashes, why give them an excuse? Because they aren’t real fans of the game, sadly.
The worrying flare-ups, coupled with the continued heavy presence of police and security, particularly around away supporters at potential volatile encounters like Adelaide and Melbourne Victory matches, are a concern and shouldn’t be ignored by those blaming the media.
Even if the vast majority of the crowd are typically on their best behaviour, all it’s going to take is one bunch of idiots getting into a spat with another group and, in the current climate, the A-League will be tarnished with severe negative headlines. Unfair, yes, but that’s the reality the game faces.
Yes, such incidents happen often in other codes and should receive the same headlines. But that shouldn’t justify flares and other idiotic acts that take place, let alone mask what’s going on amongst the small minority ruining it for everyone.
Sadly, young men fuelled with alcohol thinking it’s cool to imitate the darker aspects of football fan culture around the world, have the potential to send Australian football’s reputation back years. And the A-League’s youthfulness and less established fan base are more susceptible than other codes who typically consist of older fan bases.
With crowds increasing around the competition (particularly at Melbourne Victory matches), rivalries becoming increasingly bitter, and fans increasingly antagonistic at the heavy police presence, there is a real risk of more spot fires.
Current flare-ups are only providing police and ground security with justification for the large presence they already have at matches. And further incidents and escalations will only add to tensions and uneasiness within away supporter bays.
Fans, media, police and the FFA all have a role to play to ensure things don’t escalate further.
The fans must ensure they don’t let their clubs and the game down with idiotic behaviour, not giving the authorities an excuse to target them.
The media must ensure it doesn’t fall into the trap of stereotyping every little incident into some wider “soccer hooligan” typecast, ensuring it balances its coverage relative to other codes’ similar crowd issues.
And finally, the police, security and the FFA must ensure they are not creating an environment of suspicion and over the top policing, which will only fan the flames of tension in the terraces and further instill and “us against them” mentality between fans and the authorities.
The code cannot afford such negativity at this important juncture, and it’s up to all parties to make sure those headlines are avoided. Blaming one party solely only fuels the tension.
Follow Adrian on twitter @AdrianMusolino
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October 17th 2011 @ 7:52am
Lucan said | October 17th 2011 @ 7:52am | Report comment
There’s an unhealthy portion of supporters who crave and strive for the anit-aithoritarian “us against them” mentality and activity.
Even before an A-League ball was kicked in 2005 there were “firms” taking shape. Is a joke.
October 17th 2011 @ 8:03am
Kasey said | October 17th 2011 @ 8:03am | Report comment
The real story ought to be the obvious double standards at play in the Mainstream media. If you light a flare at a central districts SANFL game(many were lit at the SANFL Grand Final 2 weekends ago) then nothing is written or said. If you light a flare at the football(which I am 100% against by the way – it does NOT add to the atmosphere in my opinion – it just deters families)then you are a hooligan If you get pissed at the cricket and are ejected for D&D, again nothing is said. If you get a bit pissy at the football, then the police are right there in your face and being very provocaive and aggresive.
Again it is considered hooliganism. You would think after the actual riots in London and Vancouver this year alone, the media would be well aware of what a riot actually is, but the double standards that are plainly obvious when reporting on football in this countrty are absolutely shocking. Is it any wonder footbal fans think that the media is out to get them?
October 17th 2011 @ 12:01pm
con said | October 17th 2011 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
dont know if i agree, flares DO add to the atmosphere. they provide colour and vibrancy which is unique only to football. i wont lie i love flares, having been to argentina, russia and croatia, its an awesome spectactle when the crowd really gets into it. unfortunately i do acklowledge the reality here in australia. if you light one then your a wog soccer hooligan hence i understand why ffa is clamping down on it. the less negative media for the sport the better.
October 17th 2011 @ 12:25pm
Kasey said | October 17th 2011 @ 12:25pm | Report comment
Unfortunately con, you’re right, after years of the media equating flares with Euro-fotball hooliganism, all flares do is reinforce a negative stereotype associated with our game. Its bloody frustrating. The problem is that its not even neccessarily Australia’s problem. We could go 30 years with no ‘incidents’ of any note at HAL grounds and all it takes is one proper riot in Buenos Aries after a River/Boca game and the media will go with ” Sockah Riot!!” and we’re right back in the public perception stakes again:( I just wish we could help the younger suporters of football in Australia see the harm that ripping a flare does to the image of the game and why image is very important The NSL had a poor image, yet I never once saw any violence at any of the NSL games I attended. We must be terribly careful to ensure that we don’t let the media attach a negative image to HAL football. The best way to do this is to get people to stop ripping flares, they have been demonized and sadly that’s the lay of the land for the foreseeable future.
October 17th 2011 @ 8:05am
Fussball ist unser leben said | October 17th 2011 @ 8:05am | Report comment
Although I had heard about this incident on a football forum, I have not noticed a single news report on this story – but that could be the result of not watching news on commercial FTA TV.
I’ve got nothing new to add on this issue, other than to opine that this type of anti-social, disrespectful and unruly behavoiur seems to be all too common in modern society – particularly amongst large groups of people aged u25.
Heck, nowadays, people need to hire door security when they throw a house party for their teenage kids! Over the week-end, parts of Rome burned in response to bankers “fiddling the books”.
It’s disappointing when this behaviour occurs after a football match, but, as far as I’m concerned, neither AUFC nor the FFA is to blame.
Rather, the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the morons who were allowed to become parents, but have reared disrespectful and anti-social children.
October 17th 2011 @ 9:59am
Pete #205 said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:59am | Report comment
It was one of the stories repeated on Ten News updates on Saturday. Not a good look.
October 17th 2011 @ 10:18pm
apaway said | October 17th 2011 @ 10:18pm | Report comment
Pete
I didn’t see the Ten updates so I am curious – did they show any of the football highlights or just the crowd disruptions?
October 17th 2011 @ 8:17am
Lucan said | October 17th 2011 @ 8:17am | Report comment
Good call, Fuss’. Don’t forget the victim complex many of these fans display when police or security try to move them along.
October 17th 2011 @ 8:48am
Kasey said | October 17th 2011 @ 8:48am | Report comment
Lucan, I spoke to my brother the next morning(he is a cop+ a footbal fan who was rostered on for the game. His verdict, except for the flares, it was just like any Friday night on Hindley St(ADLs nightclub district) In the online forums, you should read some of the comments from these 15 year old wannabes “oh but it adds to the atmophere” (I disagree) and ” who cares what others think” – yes they actually do NOT care about the image of the game taking a battering.
There just seems no way to make hese idiots wake up to themselves. God forbid one of these scrotes rips a flare in front of me. I will have no hesitation in shopping him/her to the nearest copper. None whatsoever. I will not stand idly by while these idiots trash the name and reputation of the game I love. I mean here we are on a sports forum and are we talking about the great turnaround in form of Adelaide United? who showed nothing against Perth the week before, but came out and with Vidosic pulling the strings in midfield, they looked much more dangerous and exciting. I don’t know of one UInited fan who didn’t leave the stadum highly impressed and already chomping at the bit for next weeks visit of Sydney FC:)
October 17th 2011 @ 12:04pm
con said | October 17th 2011 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
it does add to the atmosphere though. its just part of the sports culture. unfortunately i understand why they are clamped down on. if it means less bad news for the sport then i support you in dobbing these people in.
i actually sent mvfc an email volunteering to find and refer to the police people that light them.
October 17th 2011 @ 9:08am
Whites said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:08am | Report comment
This is the first I’ve heard about it.
October 17th 2011 @ 9:28am
pete4 said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:28am | Report comment
I saw it on Channel 7 news. Showed the police moving some fans on after the game and a flare going off
October 17th 2011 @ 9:28am
chrisc101 said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:28am | Report comment
What is it with the wannabe supporters who think this is England? And what are the Adelaide and Melbourne fans fighting about anyway? Football violence of any code is not part of our culture here in Australia and any fans who are trying to import it should be delt with accordingly.
October 17th 2011 @ 9:54am
Lucan said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:54am | Report comment
These clowns associate themselves with mainland European scenes more than England.
Ignorant of the fact that many of those issues stem from deeper socio-politcal-economic frustrations that spill over to their weekend obsessions/release valve.
These kids are blessed. I can’t fathom how they would act out if facing genuine hardship and oppression.
October 17th 2011 @ 5:25pm
Cpaaa said | October 17th 2011 @ 5:25pm | Report comment
I wish flares were tolerated in all its beauty like Melbourne admires its graffitied walls. Graffiti in Brisbane is viewed upon worse than people smugglers, yes we are a bunch of dull old hicks. Yet Graffiti,no matter where you live will always exist regardless of the punishment.
Like Flares, frown upon them all u wish, they are a part of the fabric of Football across the world, if u dont like it choose another sport. It almost becomes a tribal gathering when one rips in the crowd and an experience youll be proud to have been a part of because some how……we are not meant to do it. Viva La Revolution! against a nanny state.
Seriously, the guys or gals writting the negative stuff about this wll always find something else to write about if not flares. If not singing, shouting, drums, pitch invaders, the drunks, the prematch pub drinks, the march to the stadium, the after party and i could keep on going. I feel like ive wasted my time again defending it, but this time its come from one of our own. Footballis not immune to any protection. Just except what ever comes our way. ” We are Football” in all its beauty, just the jealous ones like to remind us, time and time again, that we , are not perfect….but we never said we were.
October 17th 2011 @ 10:18am
Futbanous said | October 17th 2011 @ 10:18am | Report comment
Bottom line is Australia does not have the social conditions to replicate countries like England,that produce genuine hardcore hooligans from the disenfranchised amongst the large working class population in many cities.
Maybe theres some wannabe hard men around ,but thats all they are wannabees.
Having experience of both the real deal back in the UK & the young lads I see at A-League matches there is no comparison.
By all means take action against any disruptive behaviour through the appropriate channel,buts lets put things into perspective. Australian youths in groups are not in general inclined to perpetuate the same violent anti-social behaviour seen in the UK so lets not get carried away by a small incident just because its at a football match.
In the UK it is a genuine problem,because as I stated their is a genuine social problem within the working class.
Therefore to eradicate it at football matches you would have to eradicate the greater social problem.
As we dont have the same social working class problem here, a storm in a teacup & nothing a bit of tweaking by all parties cant solve.
October 17th 2011 @ 10:49am
agga78 said | October 17th 2011 @ 10:49am | Report comment
Who would of thought Adrian Musolini would write another negative blog, it is constant and really not required, a small incident with a few teenage boys, made out to be the London riots by media waiting outside of a venue for a standard news story, I want to know what 7,9 and 10 were doing near a football venue when they have no interest in the sport except to kick it at every opportunity.
Maybe you should be writing a blog about the other 100 odd games a year which have no one arrested or evicted, in fact I would go as far to say football has the best overall crowd behaviour of any code in this country, 90% of matches need no security or police at all and only Melb Victory vs Heart, Sydney and Adelaide are the only games for the whole season which require any police at all.
October 17th 2011 @ 10:59am
Gweeds said | October 17th 2011 @ 10:59am | Report comment
Yes I agree with Adrian. There is a small core of wannabee ‘hardcore fans’ that look at overseas and want to emulate it thinking that it is the real way to support. So we have some who espouse things like ‘Contro il, calcio moderno’ and A.C.A.B and all that stuff that in an Australian context is pretty childish and idiotic.
However, Melbourne Victory supporter groups, Victoria Police, FFA, Etihad Stadium Management and AAMI Park Management have been working together and have produced a working document that provides clear direction to best practice processes for managing supporters on match day; ensure consistency and the safety of all involved, through an improved understanding and focus on common safety and security goals. (see Club’s page about this http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/melbournevictory/news-display/Charter-for-Football-Supporter-Management/41500)
From what I heard this worked really well at the Victory Sydney match, where there was unobtrusive police present and at the end there were hardly any incidents (for a match that usually has created problems in the past) and in fact Police praised the fans – http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8357394/police-praise-behaviour-of-soccer-fans.
So perhaps that is the way forward.
October 17th 2011 @ 12:21pm
Lucan said | October 17th 2011 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
That’s a good step forward.
Greater self-policing from supporters is required also. Too often the ratbags are hidden and protected by the larger group.
You can’t expect them to hand over the delinquents every time, but at the very least they should be in the idiot’s ear educating them that such an act by an individual or small group reflects on the entire group and it isn’t welcome.