A-League thread

[tigs2011]

 

[gerkin greg]

let's face it, soccer should be drowned in a wheat sack like an unwanted litter

[one-eyed]

Western Sydney Wanderers FC statement
Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Western Sydney Wanderers FC today has noted the statement made by Melbourne Victory Football Club and on behalf of all stakeholders of the Club makes the following comments.

The Western Sydney Wanderers, as it has stated and demonstrated many times in the past, maintains an absolute commitment to providing a safe, fun-filled environment for all fans at any event in which it is involved.

Within that context, the club maintains a zero tolerance towards anti-social behaviour and continues to work strongly with all key stakeholders including Police, FFA, Venue and its Active Supporter leadership group on a daily basis to implement strategies to remove such behaviour from the game.

While in a very small minority, any anti-social behaviour is treated with the utmost seriousness and extreme sanctions are invoked upon the identification of any individual found to have exhibited such behaviour. These sanctions include bans of up to 20 years and the pressing of legal charges wherever possible.

The club fully supports any call for severe sanctioning of any individual identified as being involved in anti-social behaviour and is committed to working in collaboration with the Melbourne Victory Football Club and all relevant stakeholders to identify any individual involved either at the match or in the unfortunate incident triggered by some Melbourne Victory fans at the Wanderers pre-match Hotel function.

While appreciating the difficulties that the Melbourne Victory Football Club are currently experiencing with its active supporter group remaining on strike because of irreconcilable differences, the Western Sydney Wanderers will not shy away from its full responsibility for the behaviour of any fan that can be directly linked to the club. We have every confidence that Melbourne Victory share these same views.

As evidence of its commitment to fan security and safety, the Western Sydney Wanderers had five senior staff travel to the match on Saturday to lend support to Melbourne Victory in any way possible with match day operations including fan behaviour.

The club reaffirms its full support of its 16,700 members who continue to set a new benchmark for fan support in any sporting code in the country and will not let the actions of an absolute minority stand in the way of this recognition. The 1,500 Wanderers fans in attendance at Saturday’s match who demonstrated exemplary behaviour is a greater reflection of the Club’s values and culture than the five or six individuals who chose to demonstrate completely unacceptable behaviour.

The club also further notes that it has a virtually unblemished record of fan behaviour at its matches this year and will be seeking to establish a co-operative and collaborative approach with the Melbourne Victory Football Club to better understand and identify what may have been the catalysts for the events of Saturday and in so doing identify the necessary preventive strategies to ensure that such events do not occur in the future.

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/wswanderersfc/news-display/Western-Sydney-Wanderers-FC-statement/81986

[tigs2011]

That's all well and good. But now whose going to be the one's punished with extra security and pat-down searches etc. The Victory fans. stuff off Sydney FC turncoats. 

[mightytiges]

The thing is the clubs will see themselves as responsible and liable for what happens at the game inside the stadium but who is responsible for what happens away from grounds due to these wannabee ultras? The street fight between these rival moronic groups at and outside the Melbourne pub was started as an act of retaliation to a similar incident in reverse that happened at a pub in Parramatta earlier in the season. This is on top of a Victory fan being stabbed outside of the SFS after a Sydney FC vs Victory game this season. Are we going to get to the stage where away supporters will need to be a club member to attend away games (for easy identification purposes if they cause trouble themselves) and that they let local authorities and police know where they are as a single group at all times so to separate them from any home fan troublemakers (with the clubs and FFA paying for the extra police and security). This is what modern Aussie Soccer and the A-League was meant to get away from so the Aussie mainstream embraces the game (which it has done over the past decade). The vast majority of supporters are able to attend games and cheer, sing, chant, display tifos and jump up and down without being threatening and violent neanderthals towards others. Ban these morons from the sport for life and if there are groups involved in causing trouble trying to be ultras with flares, detonators and hiding their faces and identity, then start deducting points from that club. The vast majority won't tolerate a few egotistical morons who don't really care about the game potentially costing their team points. 

[Rampstar]

lets just blame those efniks 

[tigs2011]

lets just blame those efniks 

Agreed   

[Judge Roughneck]

Mt

How are going to ban away fans dressed as causal s?

The are generally fighting like minded people. Not women and children sitting on a wing.

IMO what percentage of violence in Australian is soccer related. O.1? Less? Overrated media bollocks. Makes a good story in the healed sun.

[Judge Roughneck]

Is not as black and white as you are a moron that fights or a good person who sings and jumps

In life and football its shared of very. If a cop pepper sprays you for little or no reason or you bare charged by a opposite fan, your most average person by move into what to claim is the moronic group.

On a side not isn't it funny that the wogs teams are but allowed to be promoted to modern a league soccer due to bring syuoid violent wogs. Wouldn't want fighting in the a league...

Perhaps the FFA should ban wogs a league fan 50% Australian requirement

[one-eyed]

FFA charges Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers over fans' street brawl
ABC
January 3, 2014


Football Federation Australia has charged Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers over a street brawl between the team's fans before last Saturday's A-League match.

Two men were hospitalised after fighting between supporters from both clubs before and during the 1-1 draw at AAMI Park.

Flares, bottles and metal poles were used as weapons in the fighting which took place on Melbourne's Bourke Street.

The FFA announced on Friday it was charging both teams with bringing the game into disrepute and said the clubs would have until 5pm on January 7 to show cause why they should not face sanctions.

"FFA has advised the clubs that their public statements this week on the events of 28 December are regarded as inappropriate and damaging to the interests of the A-League," the FFA said in a statement.

"FFA has advised the clubs that the proposed sanction is the deduction of three competition points from each club.

"The sanction would be suspended until the conclusion of the 2013/14 season, subject to the proper conduct of supporters for that period."

The points deduction would be activated in addition to any sanction imposed at the time if there were further incidents involving supporters.

In a press conference following the announcement, the FFA's Damien de Bohun defended the unprecedented proposed penalty, saying that the league had to protect football.

"We are determined that this is the most appropriate course of action," he said.

"There's no question the true fans of football will embrace where we're heading.

"We need to give people the opportunity to prove they are true football fans," he said, explaining the decision to suspend the deduction of competition points.

The penalty was handed down to cover both what happened before and during the game, including the letting off of flares inside the ground.

De Bohun said that the FFA was prepared to ban for five years any fans found to have let off flares.

He said that what had happened on December 28 was unacceptable and said the decision sent a message to people considering similar behaviour that "enough's enough."

He added that the league had banned 99 individuals from attending games for behavioural problems in the last 18 months.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/20586141/ffa-charges-melbourne-victory-western-sydney-wanderers-over-fans-street-brawl/?cmp=twitter

[Judge Roughneck]

no points lost for stabbing victory fans but innit? 

[tigs2011]

Yep punish the real fans not the knobs that turn up to fight. When did Demetriou head up the FFA? At least AFL should be good again.

[mightytiges]

Mt

How are going to ban away fans dressed as causal s?

If these morons continue to cause trouble then I can see the FFA bringing in an away club members entry only rule for certain clubs (such as WSW). No valid membership ID card then you can't go to away games.

The are generally fighting like minded people. Not women and children sitting on a wing.

True but let's see now, with the suspended 3 point deduction hanging over each club's head, how much they care about the clubs and the game as a whole. If the selfish morons don't stop trying to be wannabee ultras then it'll prove they don't give a stuff about either.

IMO what percentage of violence in Australian is soccer related. O.1? Less? Overrated media bollocks. Makes a good story in the healed sun.

True it's a small minority (of mostly young males) but blaming this as a media beat-up is ridiculous. What happened last week was a disgrace and the FFA has acted accordingly to try and stamp it out.

Is not as black and white as you are a moron that fights or a good person who sings and jumps

In life and football its shared of very. If a cop pepper sprays you for little or no reason or you bare charged by a opposite fan, your most average person by move into what to claim is the moronic group.

The morons are the ones acting as morons but it doesn't help when the 'active support' leaders aren't willing to help the club nor authorities instil reasonable measures to remove/bar the troublemakers from entering the 'active' area. When the 'active' support' leaders demand things only their way, with the 'active' area left open to anonymous GA for everybody and anybody to enter it, then it makes it difficult to identify and ban the few real culprits amongst the majority of real fans in that fluid group supporting environment. 'Active support' areas should be home club member only with guest passes on offer to friends/family of members. No home club membership or 'active support' guest pass (you have to enter with the home club member) then stadium security doesn't let you into the 'active' area. At the end of the day, it is the clubs and stadium operators that are ultimately liable for anything that happens (as Victory and WSW have found out), so they need to be able to make the rules to protect their interests.   

On a side not isn't it funny that the wogs teams are but allowed to be promoted to modern a league soccer due to bring syuoid violent wogs. Wouldn't want fighting in the a league...

Perhaps the FFA should ban wogs a league fan 50% Australian requirement

The morons came from multiple backgrounds by the look of it. One of the WSW goons, who posted a selfie of himself on facebook with a Wanderers scarf covering his face (which was spotted by the media), turns out to be a Pom who supports Grimsby Town back home in England. He posted another selfie of himself at the MCG wearing a Wanderers shirt while holding up an English flag at the 4th test. Geez I wonder why this goon thought rioting by Wanderers fans was okay .
http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/UPDATE-Scunthorpe-United-fans-ambushed-hit-bricks/story-20061985-detail/story.html

[dwaino]

I think when Victory went off at half time the Heart came out for the second.

[mightytiges]

I think when Victory went off at half time the Heart came out for the second.

That's what it felt like  . Muscat's 'tactical' subs in the second half were weird also while Leijer had another brainfade to get himself sent off again.

Anyway, Brisbane is on another level to the rest of the comp. this year.