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Pitch invasion probe warranted or a marker of the FFA nanny state?

20th October, 2014
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Western Sydney Wanderers fans. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Expert
20th October, 2014
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It’s sure to be scrapbooked as one of the most iconic images of any Sydney Derby – yet should the FFA unglove the iron fist, the Cove’s euphoric celebration of Alex Brosque’s winner could have fans making a different kind of noise.

The FFA would have sat down to investigate in the aftermath of the incident that saw a pocket of Sky Blue faithful spill over the advertising boards to join their captain in post-goal merrymaking.

By the letter of the law, it’s the sort of revelry that could cost those Sydney supporters up to $5500 each in fines, as well as the football fan’s death sentence that is a stadium ban.

But is this investigation a necessary duty of care responsibility, or another telltale sign of the growing nanny state mentality of the FFA?

According to the two coaches involved in Saturday’s derby, it’s an issue that will have most people, um, sitting on the fence.

Western Sydney Wanderers boss Tony Popovic, perhaps through bitter lips, condemned the situation.

“You don’t want to see that. That’s why we have security at venues and you want to put a stop to that,” he said.

In the opposite dugout, Graham Arnold was more willing to lean on context.

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“Look, that just shows you how much it meant to our fans to beat West Sydney,” the Sydney FC manager explained.

Of course, there’s certainly merit to both viewpoints.

I’ll be firm in saying that rules are in place to prevent the worst from happening, and so in that respect it’s hard to argue against having those sorts of mechanisms in place.

We’ve seen enough stadium tragedies to warrant taking every possible preventative measure, no matter how hard-nosed or unpragmatic they may seem. Though there is a point when that stubbornness should make way for common sense and reason.

Illegal or not, what happened after Brosque’s goal was such an organically special moment, a befitting crescendo to what is fast becoming one of Australian sport’s biggest draw cards. The fabled ban would no doubt be widely denounced as overkill; a knee-jerk reaction to something that arguably should be knocked on the head at worst.

Though by the same token, it would be unfair to ignore precedents that have been set in the past.

It’s an unenviable decision to make and one that’s bound to have its critics no matter what the solution. The most counterproductive outcome however would be one that feeds into the media-paddled moral panic of football hooliganism.

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Terrace support, at its best and purest, is a tribal affair. It’s about doing away with any notions of individualism and being a part of something bigger than oneself. But there’s a forever growing agenda that iron brands football tribalism with danger.

Sure, there will always be idiots. Though that’s as true for life as it is for football – or any sport for that matter. Those who have earned the right to call themselves fans will know that support of a club is borne out of passion not spite; camaraderie, not malevolence.

At a time when the A-League is breaking new ground, an irrational or hasty decision from the FFA could give fuel to a fire that shouldn’t be burning. Unfortunately, the suits on Oxford Street are developing an unfortunate knack of taking one step forward and two steps back, and biting the hand that feeds them in the process.

The success of the FFA Cup’s introduction, for example, was tarnished by the fiasco that surrounded the Melbourne Knight’s complaint to the Human Rights Commission.

Football in this country has never been more scrutinised and it’s a positive sign that we’re continuing to ask questions both on and off the field. The next step, naturally, is finding the right answers.

Let’s just hope the FFA know what they’re doing this time round.

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