A-League bans several players after brawl

In both incidents none of the troublemakers were fans of an A-League club. Starting an A-League team in west Sydney is an opportunity and a threat, because of the links with old soccer. This is not a Sydney United or a Croatian problem - the vast majority of fans were very well behaved and appreciated the good football that was played for a pre-season friendly. Its just a very small minority that has ruined it for the rest of us, the FFA and gallop and the A-League. But it is a very small minority, so on the plus side it should not be a massive effort to find them out and keep them away from football matches Mr Gallop.

The biggest problem for the FFA and Gallop is the unbalanced reporting of violence at sporting venues and the re-enforcement of ethnic soccer hooligan soccer violence in the public's perception. As Kasey pointed out, there was much more violence, drunken behaviour and king hitting and head kicking at State of Origin 2 than at any NSL or A-League game will ever have, but it doesn't get "Drunken rugby league hooligan violence" headlines on the front and back page of the Daily Rugby League Telegraph. The headline they CHOSE to run was "The pride of NSW downs maroons in Origin 2". Not even a mention of the score at last nights WSW game, like it wasn't even a sporting contest, just a venue to pick fights with fans and police. Lucky the Daily Telegraph reporters and photographers were there to warn us of the serious life threatening dangers of attending any soccer games..

You clearly have no clue what you are talking about striker. The only idiots at the game were the police thugs.

Tom Smithies fled at half time because he feared for his life. There was a firecracker lit after all. Maybe a Bazooka with anti-tank, metal-piercing ammunition would have been more effective to get rid of the troublemaker. Or better still a force 10 atomic bomb dropped right in the middle of the King Tomislav club. That'll get rid of a few ethnic soccer hooligans.

coppers been watching too much rugby league looking at their heavy handed, aggressive reaction. That sport, geez really should be banned... ;)

I'm not sure if you are sarcastic, but I don't think you are. Are you seriously blaming Sydney United? This is what happened -Offensive banner is out, it gets confiscated. - A fire cracker is lit, the police have 2 options Either A: Ask the perpetrator to step out of the crowd or B: Go in there with full force and annihilate anything that gets in your way. Which option do you think is more rational and is more likely to keep the situation under control? Well they chose option B, and the result? Many injured and hurt bystanders, all the blame is on the fans. 'Soccer Violence', how many police were injured or threatened? 0, how many fans hurt each other 0? how many fans were hurt by the police either through batons, pushing or capsicum spray, anywhere between 10-50?

BigAl, you dislike of football is well known, but come on, you cannot accuse football fans of bringing in police dogs & pepper sprays as well!!!!!

Kasey, aren't riot police exempt from the paperwork? Hence their lack of accountability and responsibility. I don't know by the way, I'm only assuming. This type of thing that happened to Sydney United is the exact thing that Victory fans have been complaining about over the years. The only violence that occurs is that done by the police. Ask a cop calmly why are they doing this? *cracked with a baton and sprayed* Thankfully this has stopped happening in Melbourne due to the fan charter, however Victory fans still experience this going interstate, especially NSW.

Yep the numb nuts have put back any chance of the FFA Cup for a few more seasons...it only takes a handful but don't the mainstream media love to stick the boots into Sokkah!

I was waiting for someone to bring the NRL in to it. Possibly why media is so quick to bash football and the fans, because in Australia no fans will take responsibility for something that shouldn't have happened, just blame everyone else and most notably the NRL which is incredibly frustrating considering the NRL has a great reputation for the behavior of crowds. I can't even remember the last time an NRL game was interrupted by riot police. Some idiots did something stupid, some cops overreacted and the media wasn't fair. But until football fans can say "Some select few idiots did the wrong thing, the rest of us had a wonderful time" then we're going to continue to be eyed a hooligans because by simply trying to pin the negative on the NRL - you're looking for a fight.

No the picture tells a thousand words. one bloke goes to grab his mate allegedly to get him out of the ruckus...cop pepper sprays. Its got me beat why the cops went to all that trouble? My bro is a cop and he reckons if he farts near a perp he has 3 pages of paperwork to fill out, let alone grabbing & then using his CS spray. ACAB

Most reports just screamed SOKKAH VIOLENCE and left it to the readers to come to their own conclusions that it was WSW fans after their club was mentioned I didn't see one line in the Tele report making it explicitly obvious that WSW fans played no part in the disturbance. It was 100% brought on by one dropkick Sydney Croatia fan and an OTT response from cops probably looking for an excuse to kick a few sockah heads

re. your list of facts, nothing about police dogs or pepper spray - is that correct ?

Hold the Press this is sure to make the front page of Tomorrow's Telegraph FFA Announce Troublemaker Bans FFA has responded to recent crowd trouble which has marred the 2012-13 A-League pre-season by banning two 'fans' for five years. One man has been banned for igniting a flare during a Sydney FC game against the Macarthur Rams at Campbelltown Stadium last week in a game which saw one man knocked unconscious and a six-year-old boy hit with a rock. NSW Police have confirmed further investigations will take place into the incident at Edensor Park. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/248860,ffa-announce-troublemaker-bans.aspx

Some more facts: 11 arrested 45 evicted 1 Police Officer assaulted 13 people banned from the stadium for 6 months Which football club brought that shame upon our great game? these are the figures from Origin II this year. Funny I don't remember reading much in the Telegraph about those 11 arrests/evictions only a couple of months ago? I wonder what the figures are from your run of the mill AFL game?

I was actually typing this out with my tongue firmly in my cheek !! But I believe that some 'professional' writers are pretty happy to turn a mole hill into a mountain - when it suits their 'world view'. cheers :)

I get what you’re trying to say, that we football fans are too quick to believe that there’s a conspiracy against football in the MainStream media, but what are we supposed to think when you read tweets like that one above from the director of Sport at the Telegraph? IMO There was absolutely nothing professional and measured about the Telegraph’s coverage of the incident.

Maybe he threw the first stone to get the headline happening coz it was a booooring sokha game :)

Can't believe the Telegraph couldn't even be bothered to state the result of the match between Syd. Utd. and WSW or list the attendance but we certainly got to read all about the "attrocities" commited by the crowd. Maybe that's because Smithies left at half-time. So what were you at the game for Smithies? A special assignment perhaps? Couldn't be bothered with the second half eh? And that's what you call a football (sorry soccer...you work for the Tele) writer.

You may see it as a bit overly dramatic, but look at who we just hired to run the FFA..Mr Conservative himself. Highly qualified though he undoubtedly is. If he can control the rapists and hallway crappers of the thugby, hes odds on to survive and thrive the back stabbing at senior football admin level in this country. Does anyone seriously think the code of football has had its reputation enhanced in any way over the last 2 weeks? I can honestly see Gallop sitting down and saying. The top of the tree (HAL) comes first, the rest can please themselves if the WSW SU58 game is an example of how the lower tiers will view an FFA Cup..a high profile method of expressing their displeasure and general douchebaggery. Do you think the Cro wannabe douchebags from last night give a fat rats clacker about the damage they’ve done to the image of the game? In my ideal world, we’d get a FFA Cup next season and at the first press-conference, the FFA announce that SU58 are denied home games due to their inability to control their supporters. That’d fix their little red& white checked wagon right there ;) Oh the Lols.