Melbourne Victory crowds will face the toughest crackdown on spectator behaviour seen in Australian sport for the rest of the A-League season following intervention by the code's governing body to be announced on Sunday.
The changes aimed at rogue fans will see supporter groups subjected to ID checks and bag searches and comes after a banned hooligan tried to enter Etihad Stadium with three flares strapped to his chest.
The crackdown follows repeated trouble last Sunday before the clash with Sydney, when fans marched through the city streets letting off flares.
Football Federation Australia said Victory supporters face restricted access to "active'' areas behind goals until season's end in a bid to eliminate the minority element of trouble makers.
In targeted areas, Victory fans will be forced to show identification to get to their seats and will be banned from entering active areas where fans sing and chant unless they are registered club members.
Additional measures to ensure crowd safety, such as increased bag checks, are also expected to be introduced.
A-League head Damien de Bohun said tackling trouble-making fans was necessary to protect sensible supporters and the image of the sport.
"The trial is squarely aimed at preventing troublemakers using the active areas to engage in anti-social behaviour that affects the enjoyment of others and damages the reputation of the club and game,'' he said.
The changes mean Victory and Wanderers supporters will need membership cards to enter the active zones, can buy only one ticket to the area and cannot exchange their seat with another fan.
Similar measures were trialled for a "high-risk'' match between Victory and Wanderers in Melbourne last month.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/crowd-restrictions-target-rogue-elements-in-melbourne-victory-supporter-group/story-fnk9a3dc-1226815761687Football Federation Australia has brought in new measures to tighten security for "active supporters" of Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory.
Under the new rules, designed to more rigorously police the zones within the ground where the clubs' most zealous fans gather, only club members will be entitled to purchase tickets into active-supporter areas.
"Each member will be entitled to purchase one ticket for their own use. The measures will apply to home-and-away matches," the FFA said in a statement on Saturday.
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/new-rules-target-fan-hooliganism-20140201-31ubf.html