Football Federation Australia is fond of using active supporters in its A-League advertising campaigns. But what happens when those active supporters stop turning up?
With all due respect, those who don’t understand the significance of The Cove’s walk-out during Sydney FC’s 3-0 defeat to Adelaide on Saturday night may not have spent much time in the harbour city.
There’s good reason many mainstream media outlets covered the exodus extensively.
Some clubs have larger supporter bases, while others may boast louder fans, however there’s a strong case to suggest that Sydney FC supporters are perhaps the A-League’s most loyal.
There was bound to be a tipping point, but not even the club’s worst enemies could have predicted that Sydney FC officials would manufacture such a monumental public relations blunder.
One look at the grovelling apology chief executive Tony Pignata and chairman Scott Barlow issued yesterday suggests the club knows full well it just shot itself in the foot.
The chaos started when the wife of The Cove’s charismatic Capo – or chant leader – was evicted and had her membership confiscated for neatly folding the fans’ banner, as she does at every home game.
For those who didn’t see it – and Fox Sports gave it prominent coverage during the match – the banner read “We Want Farina Gone”.
Security couldn’t possibly have picked a worse individual to make an example of. Not only is she a former Sydney FC employee, but her husband and most of The Cove soon followed her out the door.
For the sake of full disclosure, I should point out that I know the couple personally, and I’m also a Sydney FC member.
However, it’s not for any personal reasons that I feel compelled to defend the club’s fans, but rather because I believe FFA is in danger of instigating open warfare against the very supporters it needs most.
There was another banner in Cyrillic, for the benefit of Sydney FC’s Russian owner David Traktovenko, aiming similar sentiments at Pignata and Barlow.
The banners were displayed for a number of minutes, however the pair deny any responsibility for ordering them to be taken down.
According to them, it was a pitch-side staff member who saw the banners and called for their removal, with Pignata and Barlow supposedly oblivious.
“Despite this, as the management and executive of the club we take full responsibility for the decision, admit it was wrong and apologise wholeheartedly to the fans that were affected and to the supporters as a whole,” they said in a statement the following day.
There was another – perhaps more telling – statement made on Twitter several hours earlier.
It came from ex-Sydney FC chief executive Edwin Lugt, and it was aimed at the man who has proved a common denominator in all of the Sky Blues recent controversies.
“Sydney FC: just incredible how one arrogant and totally incompetent individual can destroy a club. And no, it’s not the coach…” tweeted Lugt.
He was talking, in my opinion, about Barlow.
Over the past few years, I’ve heard repeatedly from sources close to Sydney FC that Barlow is a divisive influence on the club.
Critics are quick to point to the revolving door of coaches and chief executives, but few are willing to scratch the surface and consider who is doing the hiring and firing.
At any rate, if A-League fans are to be viewed as little more than customers, the very least they should be afforded is the right to voice their opinion.
Alienating active fans has a substantial knock-on effect, because a lack of atmosphere equates to less casual fans attracted through the turnstiles.
Many members of The Cove have been involved with the club since day one – much longer than the current board – and they put in hours of unpaid labour creating colourful tifos and chants.
Their hard work helps sell tickets and inspire players, but they won’t be around for much longer, after a forgettable night on which Sydney FC officials practically dared their own fans to desert.
Tim
Guest
Does anybody know what the banner written in Russian cyrillics said? I know its aimed at thier Russian owner Traktovenko, but just wondering what it said. thanks.
ciudadmarron
Guest
Half, I see "real" football fans can't count. Rioted after a draw? This "fact" is even less credible than your first. If this is what real football fans talk like, I'm more than happy to sit out.
Aethelbert
Guest
When Wellington won at Pirtek half the stadium left, also you guys rioted after a draw in Melbourne. Sit out and let the real football fans talk.
Aethelbert
Guest
When Wellington won at Pirtek half the stadium left, also you guys rioted after a draw in Melbourne. Sit out and let the real football fans talk.
Aethelbert
Guest
When Wellington won at Pirtek half the stadium left, also you guys rioted after a draw in Melbourne. Sit out and let the real football fans talk.
NUFCMVFC
Roar Guru
Doesen't have a great rep in some parts of Melbourne tho fwiw
NUFCMVFC
Roar Guru
I agree with putting up banners to express the sentiment of the day. My point is that for a long time people in the Cove didn't and have historically been disparaging to other fans for doing so. Half the reason it has got so much coverage is a simple matter of proximity to the football media who in turn seem to think SFC are more important than they are and are surprised when 30k don't turn up to watch ADP every week. in itself this isn't a big issue (well no more than what fans at other clubs have dealt with) just a general rant about board/coach performance and then for probably the first time in history someone in the Cove has been subject to overzealousness security and the media response has been surprisingly disproportionate Put another way, if this is some kind of benchmark, they've been under reporting issues at other clubs for years
Roger
Guest
See comment above. Issue, not man. Personal attacks = poor form. I have considered reporting you, but won't as I think that would be petty. But please bear in mind that this sort of behaviour is not appropriate.
Roger
Guest
Ok, my mistake. In fairness, it was a possible conclusion to draw based on the "here in Melbourne" comments, and "NT cousins" (which I did find an interesting choice of words if you were a Heart fan). And I wasn’t entirely wrong, given my NSL comment. Regardless, you have offered no way of explanation or expansion on why it is “just” to walk out en-masse because a fan is ejected for folding a banner, but it is petty to walk out en-masse after a fan gets assaulted for holding a banner. In relation to your repeated personal attacks, like my incorrect conclusion above, you actually don’t know the first thing about me, other than the fact that I was at a complete loss regarding your comment above. Play the issue, not the man. Resorting to personal attacks is poor form.
mahonjt
Guest
I sometimes forget I am 'mahonjt' around here (as I am everywhere except mvfc.net) and just instinctively use the other one..... Sorry.
mahonjt
Guest
Your a simpleton. How's that?
mahonjt
Guest
Not even close. I am an inaugural MVFC member, inaugural NT "UNION" member and long time NSL supporter who has embraced new football - for good reason. The NSL was crushed by its own inadequacies - whatever its strengths. Yet again you demonstrate your capacity for analysis and forming rational conclusions.
mahonjt
Guest
I am. I can't seem to update my name on the MVFC.Net site. Given I have been there for nearly a decade I will just leave it as it is.
mahonjt
Guest
I agree with you. They are in the other thread - http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/02/04/a-league-paying-for-passion/
Australian Rules
Guest
Good post Arto.
kochie
Guest
ok - both Pele and Ale have backed up my original point. But i appreciate my original statement may have been somewhat antagonistic so please allow me to rephrase. The cove are so involved with what they believe is good support for the club that they are actually pushing a lot of good sydney fc fans away. The sfcu site is another example - outsiders who have been as long Sydney fans as some of the cove, spark up with points that are very much valid - be it saying del boy is definitely getting old, to terry mcpoint crab feet mcflyn being generally bad, and without hesitation, many of the covites come back fíng and blinding calling the poster every name under the sun in responses that a 15year old going through puberty would be ashamed of. The cove, i am not disputing are passionate support - but at times when it really mattered, they clammed up like an 80yr old woman on stage at the sydney opera house - The first derby this season - useless . The big blue (even though we won,) useless. Best example is that the cove are never in sync with the game. Blindly singing inane drivel when sometimes football101 support would suggest that they get riled up - be it a foul, a pointless card by one of the a leagues awful refs or even when the away team scores. And your point about other stands being quiet - nonsense. Both tiers to the right and left of the cove are rowdy as. The cove alienated many other supporters groups though as the other, what i would call, proper football fans, from european origin stated what needed to change and el capo and his blind minions cut them down. Yes i have heard of many which sat close to the away fans when they were Syd FC fans and one day just up sticks and left because they were sick of the cove and they self righteous opinions.
ciudadmarron
Guest
Agree with much of what you say Arto - the hamfistedness is what I was really getting at. I am indeed a WSW supporter. I don't claim to represent a large proportion of WSW fans but for me personally, you are spot on with regards to the Bling tag which turned me right off the moment the club was announced. I'm not sure though that Bling has to do with results - playing style perhaps, but it's the big-name marquee stuff and the lifestyle epitomised by all night Dwight that I think of, as well as "the big end of town". Just wasn't for me - and I chose to support football in other ways. Anyway, as you say, what happened happened. As I posted above I suspect we wouldn't have our fantastic rivalry and derby if the one team policy had gone to a more "central" franchise.
Roger
Guest
And yet still no response?
Roger
Guest
I just realized that your first post indicates you are a Heart fan, which would explain your irrational views in relation to MV. Or perhaps you are an NSL fan. Either way there's probably not much point try to have a rational conversation, regardless of how logical my points are. A few comments however: 1. Make a 2 bit comment, and the response will treat it as such 2. You haven't answered my question 3. I had a chuckle at your jab at my intelligence, or lack thereof.
Amici
Guest
Yeah the commentators talk simplistically saying 'which Sydney will turn up' but the fact is when you score the first goal instantly momentum occurs for the winning side, the heads of the other team drops but the problems of Sydney run deeper in it's setup and vision. It's also a matter of which team is likely to show tenacity and resilience in the face of adversity and which team will collapse after the opposing team scores a goal. Sydney showed its fighting spirit with 10 men but it's too inconsistent. I think it's focusing on too much dazzle that's overriding a long term plan with a vision and plain old unglamorous dogged hard work.