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Here we are again, another impasse in Australian football. What began as one journalist thrusting her unsubtle agenda on the game has united fans behind a common cause.
The source of the leak behind the Sunday Telegraph’s expose remains unclear, but Football Federation Australia has become a target of discontent by association.
The FFA wouldn’t normally be expected to comment on a media report, but their inaction in this case has spoken volumes. The 198 spectators named and shamed in the files have had their reputations tarnished and any right to confidentiality significantly breached.
Being smeared on the front page of a national newspaper without having had a chance to state your defence reeks of prejudice. The journalist involved may think she is swooping down to save the lives of football fans, but it’s harder to find a supporter who has felt threatened at an A-League match than the opposite.
A-League chief Damien De Bohun did more harm than good with his bureaucratic response. He said: “FFA works with all stakeholders [police, governments, security, clubs and venues] to have strong banning processes and robust security planning for matches, which includes listing banned spectators, showing we take the safety of our true fans seriously.”
That defends the A-League against claims that ‘soccer in Australia is at risk of becoming on a par with the worst of the English Premier League and European soccer turmoil’. But it’s not at all the response that was needed from the governing body here.
The fact that 198 fans have been banned is a clear sign that action is being taken to stop these ‘louts’, though it isn’t the action that is actually needed.
There are plenty of measures in place to curb antisocial behaviour and stop the flares, but the FFA is once again ignorant of fans’ demands if they’re content with the current processes.
Guilty fans deserve to be punished, laws are there for a reason. What many have taken umbrage with is the lack of an appeals process, an issue that is still yet to be addressed despite years of protest.
Western Sydney’s clash with Wellington in Parramatta on March 10, 2013 is one of the more recognisable examples. The Red and Black Bloc stood silent for the first 20 minutes of the match under a banner reading ‘a silent stand for our brothers banned’.
This Supporters Not Customers blog from 2013 recalls an anecdote of one fan receiving a five-year ban for allegedly waving a flare in the air, despite the ‘flare’ actually being a drumstick.
The events of the past week have prompted another boycott this weekend. Fans of Melbourne Victory (North Terrace) and Western Sydney (RBB) both released statements on Tuesday revealing they will stage walkouts at their respective matches on Saturday and Sunday.
Sydney FC’s supporter group The Cove have opted for a different approach. They say they won’t be silenced by walking out on their team, and will defend any of their members caught up in Sunday’s story through legal means.
The walkouts will receive some criticism, but the focus should be on the fact that fans feel obliged to take such strong measures to have their voice heard.
Whether A-League fans have supported their club for one, two or 20 years, they deserve the favour to be returned.
There are a number of issues for the FFA to consider, the latest of which is a report revealing a fall in crowd numbers. The reason for that is subjective, though it’s very unlikely almost 100,000 people have turned away over the first seven rounds this season compared to last season because they feel unsafe.
Roy Morgan Research suggests football is the most played sport among boys aged 6-13, while there are more girls in the same bracket that play football than netball. There are more than 100,000 members across the league and thousands of dollars raised by fans for various charities each year. Let the fear mongering and stereotypes stop.
As David Gallop suggested on The Roar yesterday, actually listening to the fans might prove a game changer.
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