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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