So the Western Sydney Wanderers wanted an authentic, European-style home end? Good luck with that. Thanks to the actions of a select few, the A-League’s ‘newest, oldest club’ has just taken 20 steps in the wrong direction.
It was meant to be a good news day – another step forward for the team that Australian football is pinning its hopes on.
The unveiling of two new Croatian imports, the 132nd anniversary of the game that inspired the name, the original Wanderers versus King’s School.
Instead, some deluded thugs have spilled blood, caused unnecessary trouble and muddied the image of the sport they claim as a religion.
Now come the inevitable and oh so predictable cries that football – or soccer, because you know that’s what it gets called at times like these – is dirty, dangerous and filled to the brim with drunken, violent hooligans.
Of course, that’s not true. But that’s how it looks now. And a new batch of morons have kindly handed the sections of the media that don’t give a damn about the world game some more ammunition.
The full details of what happened off the pitch at Tuesday night’s pre-season friendly between Sydney FC and Macarthur are yet to emerge.
But quite frankly, they are irrelevant.
It doesn’t matter who threw the first punch, or the first flare, or who finished the fight, or who threw a bin or a rock or whatever, in whichever direction.
What matters is that a man and a child have been needlessly hurt at a game of football, and that is completely unacceptable.
This is not 1980s England. We’re talking about a school night in south-west Sydney, and a rivalry that does not yet exist between one club that is less than 10 years old and another that is only here because of government funding and circumstance.
We’re talking about a game that Wanderers fans had no business even attending.
We’re talking about two teams from a competition that is struggling to keep its head above water – one with much, much more important issues than this.
And – of course – we’re talking about another incident that has given a whole bunch of fence-sitting fans a new reason why they shouldn’t sign up for an inaugural Western Sydney membership.
Nice work.
The A-League needs a strong Sydney derby with boisterous fans, witty chants and an electric atmosphere. Active support is football’s point of difference from the other codes.
But it will now be more difficult than ever for that to happen, because now the actions of fools on Tuesday night have guaranteed attention from over-zealous security officers who do not understand football.
Ask Melbourne Victory fans about their experiences with Hatamoto. It’s your turn now, Sydney.
Since day one, there have been calls for supporters groups to start policing themselves – and granted, some clubs like Sydney FC do it well – but elsewhere it rarely happens.
Why? Because they maintain a code of silence, as if they are part of some kind of demented childish mafia. Nobody wants to dob on their friends, so nobody does. And so the mischief continues.
These troublemakers have no place in society, let alone football.
The clubs and FFA, after another round of bad press, have no choice but to come down hard and weed out the rogue elements however possible, before more damage is done.
However, it is the fans who need to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves this question – do I want my sport to thrive, or is it more important that I play out my Green Street fantasies at the expense of everyone else?
The only way this will end is if it is stamped out from within. Otherwise, football will be forever chasing its tail.
For the record, Sydney beat Macarthur 3-1 and apparently showed some good signs for the season ahead. Some would do well to remember that is why we’re all here.
Peter
Guest
English football hooliganism is twice as bad as it is in Australia and they are still the biggest league in the world you cannot blame firms for the decrease if the a-leagues popularity look at the evidence
Peter
Guest
All I'm saying us that instead if u guys focusing on the football you focus on a minor issues between two firms get your priorities right the football is the important issue not the hooliganisms
micka
Guest
A team's logo design is very different to a self created logo by a supporter group. If you can't see that a hooded youth with clenched fists representing a supporter group is a bit off image you will never get it.
micka
Guest
Fuss, Your last response is very different to this... "Yup – nothing happened to any kid. Typical nonsense reported by those with an anti-football agenda." Develop some integrity mate, you have absolutely none! So you went from denying it happened at all to pointing out an incident at an AFL match that was completely transparently reported in all media and UNIVERSALLY decried as abhorrent by the AFL community. Im a Carlton member and I was DISGUSTED.
Kasey
Guest
Yes and all fans of the Melbourne Demons are pitchfork wielding devil worshipers. great comment AR.
Titus
Guest
I've heard the GWS home end logo is of a guy having tea and scones with his grandmother : )
nordster
Guest
target audience...someone doesnt know marketing...they're probably getting advised by Nike, deep down they luv that stuff :)
Titus
Guest
forget about it.
Steve
Guest
No, no, Rob is right: Russell Crowe is stroking a white cat on his lap as we speak, planning the next anti-soccer beat up from his underground volcano headquarters; don't forget how the Murdoch empire acquired English newspapers in the early 80's then started football hooliganism to increase sales, and further the nefarious goal of besmirching the one true football.
Kasey
Guest
Don’t worry, any news is good publicity according to the most successful and biggest sporting league on the planet. Not sure what America's NFL has to do with this, but even in America their late night comedians make Soccer-hooligan jokes, its a well-trodden hackneyed stereotype that I fear the sport will never fully distance itself from:(
JVGO
Guest
I think Lux is being facetious.
nordster
Guest
and he's seen it from all sides of the fence has Negus ... his comments on the inherent violent nature of some 'oblong' sports, juxtaposed with the reaction to any sniff of trouble at the sockah ... well says it all...
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
LOL, the paranoia brigade is out again. Never mind in Perth this week there's been more media in respect of poor crowd behaviour for the AFL than every media article on soccer crowds combined in the last 10 years in this country. But carry on. Yeah, it's a conspiracy.
Sports Candy
Roar Pro
You might be right, it may well prove to be a good thing. The Palmer affair brought out the worst in our enemies and the best in ourselves and lifted the FFA and the game to another level. The clubs are doing the right thing and this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated. And it happened in the pre-season game with only a couple of thousand spectators, 2 months before the season starts. Would have looked a lot worse at a sellout 20K Sydney derby game. I think its also a strong warning to anyone else thinking of intentionally starting trouble.
Storybridge
Guest
I have an idea. Just have ads at every state league, a-league and national team match explaining that bad behaviour will only result in summer sport being limited to boring cricket and boring tennis. That'll stop any potential trouble makers in their tracks.
Peter Wilson
Roar Guru
Don't think what is true? Sure, there was trouble at the SFC trial game and it is deplorable. I'm just questioning the credibility of the Daily Telegraph, their journalists and their blogs. I also question their motives. They have been convicted and fined on many occasions for not telling the truth or misrepresenting the facts. There is a popular saying in Sydney "Is that the truth or did you read it in the Daily Telegraph." Complete with bumper stickers and T Shirts. http://www.annoyus.com/content/telegraph-t-shirt
c
Guest
vince stick to your roots son all good. our problem is that in this country our game will be sokkah for a long time
MV Dave
Guest
Yeh...good to read George's views on this incident. He is spot on about the media's treatment of football. As has been pointed out in several other posts certain media outlets seem to revel in the sensationalist angle to give Sokkah a kicking. Of course the behavior of a couple of numb nuts didn't help...but violent crowd incidents happen at many sporting venues in this country not just at Sokkah, as the media would have us believe.
Stevo
Guest
The George Negus piece nicely balances the responsibility of the fans and that of the media when reporting on such events. Worth a read http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1116358/Football-'soft-target-for-hungry-media'
Rob
Guest
Well tell News Ltd to stop sending their thugs to our games to cause trouble then!