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Melbourne Victory A-League midfielder Fahid Ben Khalfallah hopes a planned supporter group walkout at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night doesn’t go ahead but he accepts the fans’ right to demonstrate their anger.
Victory and Western Sydney supporter groups are planning the protest action during their respective clubs’ fixtures at the weekend after a News Corp Australia report containing a list of 198 fans banned from attending matches by FootBall Federation Australia (FFA) was published last Sunday.
The groups have called on the FFA to launch an investigation into how the list was made public and to implement an independent appeals process for banned supporters, with the walkout at a pre-determined point during each match designed to bring attention to their grievances.
“I hope not,” Ben Khalfallah said when asked about the prospect of fans walking out during the game.
“I hope they will support us like they do (but) it’s up to them.
“We just have to play football. I think we have the best fans in the league … honestly, it’s up to them.
“When I play football I just want to see our fans with us to support us like they do but it’s their trouble, their problem, and we can’t do anything.”
The issue won’t distract Kevin Muscat’s men as they look to reclaim top spot from Brisbane with a win over Adelaide United.
The Victory are set to be bolstered by the returns of Besart Berisha and Carl Valeri for the clash with the Reds, who are anchored to the bottom of the ladder without a win after seven rounds.
“We know every game is very difficult – especially against Adelaide,” Ben Khalfallah said.
“We know it’s a very important game for them. When we played against them the first time (this season), it was very difficult.
“But we just have to play our football. We’re 100 per cent sure it will be a hard game.”
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