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Opinion
Amidst the smouldering wreckage of what was undoubtedly the A-League’s darkest hour, the game’s administrators somehow need to find some answers if the competition is to survive.
The utterly disgraceful scenes we witnessed in the Melbourne Derby at AAMI Park on Saturday night must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.
There is no justification whatsoever for fans entering the field of play. Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover might have inadvertently returned a flare in the direction of the Melbourne Victory fans, but Victory supporters are at fault for lobbing it on the pitch in the first place.
We can’t call those who assaulted Glover football fans though. They are anti-social criminals who use football matches as a vehicle to commit senseless acts of violence.
That’s an important point to acknowledge, even if the outcome remains the same – it will be genuine football fans who suffer the repercussions.
We already saw that on Sunday when New South Wales police allegedly confiscated a drum from Macarthur’s active supporters in Campbelltown.
But the first thing that should happen on the back of Saturday night’s abysmal scenes – aside from criminal charges – is the dismantling of the northern terrace’s supporter group, Original Style Melbourne.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 17: A bleeding Tom Glover of Melbourne City is escorted from the pitch by team mates after fans stormed the pitch during the round eight A-League Men’s match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park, on December 17, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Twice this season OSM have been involved in serious incidents, and twice they have dismally failed to acknowledge the consequences of their own actions – offering mealy-mouthed post-match statements that read like they were written by the sort of pathetically self-entitled juveniles most of them are.
It’s time for OSM to go. Whatever ‘passion’ they might offer on the terraces is completely irrelevant when self-styled hooligans sprint from within their midst to attack rival players.
Those apprehended will invariably be served with lifetime bans, but given that some of the alleged assailants were already reported to be serving such bans, you have to wonder how much of a hindrance that really is.
Some other questions must be asked. Not least around what exactly it was that both security personnel and Victoria Police were doing when the rogue Victory supporters were storming the pitch.
Not for the first time in the A-League, we saw security forces form a cordon AFTER the damage had already been done.
Had they been lulled into a false sense of security by the suggestion that Victory fans would simply walk out after 20 minutes? The fact that at least one of the pitch invaders was wearing a pair of football boots suggests this was all pre-meditated.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 17: Fans storm the pitch in protest during the round eight A-League Men’s match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park, on December 17, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
And while there is a world of difference between a peaceful boycott and the scenes of anarchy we saw on Saturday, we can’t forget what instigated this entire mess in the first place.
The Australian Professional Leagues’ decision to sell the next three grand finals to Sydney is the most ham-fisted move we’ve ever encountered in the A-League.
First we were told it was to lock in a guaranteed venue, then it was to start ‘new traditions,’ before finally it transpired that the deal actually came about because the APL is skint.
It’s a disastrous look for APL chief executive Danny Townsend, and it’s hard to imagine what the A-Leagues’ broadcaster Paramount thinks of all this.
Some serious questions should be asked of Townsend’s stewardship in the wake of this latest debacle, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
Because like clockwork, the usual ‘I hate sokkah’ brigade came out in force, emboldened by Saturday’s shambolic scenes to declare their undying hatred for this most un-Australian of sports.
We have a handful of boneheaded morons from the Victory home end to thank for that.
Sponsors, broadcasters and countless fans will no doubt be questioning whether they want to remain involved with the league as well.
People like Tom Glover and referee Alex King – who deserves some kind of bravery award – should be able to carry out their jobs unhindered by lunatics from the stands.
The A-League has hit rock bottom. It’s a long way back from here.
What the game needs now is some genuine leadership from our highly-paid administrators to help steer us out of this self-made mess.