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  • FFA Attempting To Destroy Active Support

    mack

    By mack

    Football Federation Australia, with help from Melbourne Victory & the Victorian Police are attempting yet again to destroy Active Support in the A-League.

     

    I should be writing my A-League preview right now, but a far more important piece of news has come to light.

     

    This article (Football clubs, police crack down on hooligans at Melbourne games) comes out of the Herald Sun of Victoria. The Herald Sun is one part of the all encompassing AFL Propaganda Bubble perpetuated by News Corp (They are an AFL Official Partner) & the AFL's own in-house media wing. The article lists a series of draconian fines, penalties, laws and measures that will be deployed against the Melbourne Victory active supporter group, as well as a confirmation that they will be extended to the rest of the country if successful in Melbourne.

     

    These measures are nothing of an attempt to eradicate Active Support from the A-League.

     

    Melbourne Victory is first, Heart might be next, but then it will be Western Sydney in the crosshairs of the FFA & Police.

     

    The Victorian Police are ingrained into this bubble. They have collaborated with the AFL to ensure that alleged rapists who happen to be AFL players are investigated badly, with officers pressured by their fellow officers to drop their investigations. This behaviour was so poor that this incident is now under investigation by the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission. The AFL has agreements with the Victorian Police that have the potential to allow the AFL organisation to sweep under the rug illegal betting, drug trafficking, drug use, as well as match fixing. The AFL & the Victorian Police are inextricably linked.

     

    The AFL's #1 threat in this country is football. They are running scared of Football. They trashed our World Cup bid. Every week we see articles written by the likes of Graham Cornes, where our sport is attacked by ignorant morons, ingrained from birth to support AFL and only AFL, who see our sport as an un-Australian foreign sport played by immigrants that is a threat to the good order of the nation. Football's big advantages over the AFL are atmosphere, and the youth demographic who are following football but not the AFL. Our sport represents the vast and varied cultural elements and ancestries that make up this nation far better than the anglo dominated AFL does. Supporters of Football are far younger on average than those who support AFL, and our participation levels are through the roof compared to the AFL, without having to resort to dirty tricks like counting school based auskick programs while football only records real club participation.

     

    The AFL would gain a clear benefit should the Victorian Police succeed in destroying Active Support in the A-League. Doing so would go a long way to demolishing several of the biggest advantages the A-League has in attracting patrons. The youth demographic, and the atmosphere that draws people into the biggest clubs in the country. Across the A-League the clubs with the best atmosphere attract the most supporters. Last season the highest supported clubs in the league were Melbourne Victory (average crowds over 23,000), Sydney FC (over 18,600) and the Western Sydney Wanderers (over 14,500). While I would not go so far as to claim a causal link, it is without doubt that atmosphere attracts people to matches, and that it is Active support who provide that atmosphere. The FFA use active support constantly in promotions for the A-League.

     

    That article outlines the measures that the Victorian Police are undertaking from the start of this A-League season. Instead of standing up for the supporters, the people who pay the bills, Melbourne Victory Football Club & Football Federation Australia have caved, ignorant of the role that active support plays in building these clubs, and allowing the Police and Media to yet again trash the reputation of Australia's active supporters in a manner that does not fit reality. The reality is that Cricket, AFL & NRL all suffer massive problems of their own with supporters being racist, or attacking each other in the street as well as large scale drunken unsocial behaviour.

     

    Unlike the other sports however, Football does not have a sympathetic media who sweep most incidents under the rug and leave them unreported. Nor does it have police who say they are "generally happy" when for example, 19 people are arrested in Fremantle following the AFL Grand Final. When 78 people are evicted from the 2012 Melbourne Cup the police describe it the day as "generally well behaved". In 2007 after 192 people were evicted from a cricket match the police "praised overall crowd behaviour". Another cricket match in 2007 where there were 189 evictions and 16 arrests, yet again saw the words "generally happy" being used. In 2009 47 people were arrested in Geelong after the AFL Grand Final. The police described themselves as "obviously pleased" with behaviour.

     

    Compare that to the 2013 Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory final where only 6 evictions were recorded, and Victorian Police Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent described the night as being filled with "hooliganism". Or when the Police made only three arrests (at least one of which I believe was quashed when it eventually went to court) at the Sydney FC hosted Sydney Derby last season, only for Police to follow that up the next day by calling it a "very serious issue". The FFA & the clubs involved should be correcting the record, releasing the truth, instead of bowing down to vested interests that want nothing more than to tear down our league and our sport and use the demonisation of the supporters who pay the wages of the FFA & A-League clubs to do it. The idea that A-League Active Support is filled with hooligans is a media lie, invented by those in the back pocket of the AFL. Hatamoto agrees and tells the FFA they need to crackdown so they can gain more lucrative contracts, while the Police look for as much taxpayer funded operational money as they can get their hands on.

     

    The following measures are listed in bold, with my reaction after. Remember, if we do not fight these changes it will be us soon enough.

     

    A dedicated police investigations team headed by a high-ranking detective formed to probe all criminal incidents at A-League matches. Does an A-League active supporter group warrant the kind of investigation force that usually goes after bikie gangs and organised crime? The two most public examples of crowd violence in the A-League last season, the Melbourne Heart vs WSW attack, and the Sydney Derby 'glass throwing', didn't result in any police action at all. Despite the man in Melbourne being shown on HD television with his full face exposed, the police were unable to bring charges against the person. Neither did the police in NSW to my knowledge find the person involved in the glass throwing incident. I'd expect that kind of incompetence from Chief Wiggum, not highly paid 'detectives' who should be out attacking crime gangs, mafia, drug rings, actual criminals, and not people at a football match.

     

    Rival teams Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart ban flags and banners of splinter supporter groups in the stands, clamping down on the association of rogue fans. Who decides who is a 'rouge' or a 'splinter'? What exactly does a 'splinter' mean? Does it mean for example the group of mates in the RBB that I stand with in Bay 55, people who I have travelled to Adelaide, Newcastle, Melbourne and Gosford with, who as a collective decided to move out of the over-crowded Bay 56 in order to help create a better atmosphere in Bay 55? Are we a 'rogue' or 'splinter' group? Am I a 'rogue' because I run a website critical of the police, Hatamoto & the FFA? What about the Corner Post Crew? Are they a 'splinter'? Can I and the rest of Bay 55 expected to get banned without reason? What MVFC & the FFA don't seem to understand is that these so called splinter groups are nothing more than groups of mates or people who happen to come from the same geographic area, who attend matches together. I'm sure that is much the case in Melbourne as it is here at the Wanderers. Do I deserve to be targeted because I identify with a group of mates in addition to being part of the overall RBB?

     

    Dob-a-yobbo text messaging hotlines for matches at AAMI Park as well as Etihad Stadium for the first time to encourage fans to alert police and security about troublemakers. What a total waste of time and money. There is next to no trouble at A-League matches, and trouble quickly spotted by the hundreds of police or security guards, not to mention that trouble is far less than at NRL, AFL or Cricket matches because of crowd segregation. Last season the only time I ever felt like there was any kind of "trouble" was when the idiots at the Sydney Football Stadium decided they wanted to force what seemed like half the stadium to get crushed in a lineup outside a single gate entrance so they could attempt invasive and pointless searches on everyone who entered.

     

    Stronger ticket entry regulations with members forced to scan their pass on entry and again when they reach certain parts of the ground. We already get forced to scan our entry tickets and passes on entry to the ground and people are already sent into specific gate entrances for specific sections of the ground, there is little point whatsoever in tracking people to a level that would not be out of place in the book 1984. Melbourne Victory, instead of allowing their active support to grow like the Wanderers have done, cut the number of memberships from 700 to 500, and will erect barricades that prevent anyone from joining the North Terrace. They will also install scanners to totally ensure that no-one who has a general admission ticket can even think about becoming part of the NT. Is that going to happen to the Wanderers? Will next season see Bay 54 and Bay 58 covered by tarpaulins, with people banned from active support outside bays 55, 56 & 57 under threat of having their memberships torn up? What if the FFA don't think tarpaulins work, or work well enough? Will they introduce cages and metal fencing? Does no-one at the FFA care to learn lessons from history, where people have gone to watch a football match and not come home, because of negligent crowd controls that limited people's freedom of movement.

     

    Damien de Bohun is the current head of the A-League for Football Federation Australia, and under his leadership the relationship with Active Supporters between the FFA & several A-League clubs has been destroyed. No-one involved with active support that I know trusts a word that comes out of his mouth. Not when those seeking discussion and constructive dialogue are stonewalled at every turn, then dismissed by him, and the rest of Football Federation Australia. It is my belief that out of everyone at the FFA there is only one person who truly understands active support, and his efforts go to waste when the higher ups at the FFA refuse to engage with active support on any meaningful level. As one example, when those involved with Terrace Australis recently attempted to include the A-League in the discussions about active support, the people at the FFA refused outright to discuss the A-League active support situation. It wasn't their concern.

     

    The FFA wasn't interested in A-League active support, they cared only about the Asian Cup. That was their sole focus. They do not want to be embarrassed by travelling Korean, Japanese and other active Asian supporters in our own backyard. What the FFA don't seem to realise is that people involved with TA are involved with active support in the A-League. Some are leaders of their own clubs active support, others perform minor roles, while others are simply part of the overall collective of an club active support group without actually leading them. But no matter what role they play, they still aren't going to roll over for the FFA and play along. They aren't going to sell out the supporters of their own clubs and help the FFA when the FFA won't help the active support in the A-League. With these changes it looks like the FFA are going to try and destroy A-League active support this season, even though the people involved with A-League active support are the same people that will have to run the National Team active support for the Asian Cup.

     

    Instead of supporting their customers and active supporters, the FFA & the clubs have helped to demonise them. They have allowed the media and police to blow up minor incidents into cataclysmic portents of doom that to be prevented, require hundreds of police, including members of elite paramilitary special forces units, horse patrols, highway patrol, dog squad, helicopters, hundreds of security guards and the continual waste of money that is paying the anti-terrorist organisation Hatamoto to consult with the FFA. The article reports Kevin Muscat as saying that matches have to become "more family friendly". With all due respect to Muscat, attendance records at Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory & the Wanderers, not to mention the simple act of seeing who turns up to A-League matches, proves that the A-League is perfectly family friendly right now. Additionally, the last line of the article states that up to 50,000 people are expected to watch the Melbourne Derby. I highly doubt that a crowd of 50,000 could be in sight without families feeling safe enough to watch the match.

     

    I am sick to death of being treated like a criminal when I go to an A-League match. I am sick to death of idiots at the FFA who want to turn the RBB into an AFL cheer squad. I am sick to death of football and it's supporters being demonised by the media, only to watch the sycophants at the FFA crawl up to the media on all fours and kiss arse, sucking up to media organisations who are officially linked with the AFL & NRL, instead of telling the truth, which is that these minor problems in the A-League pale in comparison to the problems the AFL, NRL & Cricket have with violence and anti-social behaviour and that the FFA will not allow the media and police to hold active support hostage. I do not like having to stand next to a jittery officer with his hand on his gun at a football match, like what happened at Penrith. I am tired of seeing the FFA & the clubs try to destroy active support in the mistaken impression that it is somehow 'holding the sport back' or in the belief there is a major problem with 'hooliganism' in active support.

     

    As a person who has attended all matches involving the Wanderers in New South Wales since inception, including all pre-season matches, as well as several interstate matches, I should have witnessed this immense hooliganism, and crowd violence first hand? Yet I have not. I have not seen a single example of violence. Except for one. It was at Campbelltown Stadium last season, where the police threw an old man face first onto the asphalt for a crime that was not apparent to anyone waiting in line. He sat there bleeding from his face while his wife cried by his side.

     

    Last season the RBB was recognised as playing a huge part in the growth of the Western Sydney Wanderers, so why do those running the FFA refuse to accept that our sport can only grow bigger the more they allow active support to grow. Why is it that places like Germany can generate

    levels of active support in stadiums far bigger than most A-League grounds, without having to create onerous entry conditions and oppressive levels of police activity? Have the FFA requested the Police give them the hard numbers on incidents in the A-League, NRL, AFL & Cricket to prove one way or the other if there really is a problem in the A-League? Or are they simply accepting of Police 'gut feelings' and agree to crackdowns like these with no evidence? Do the FFA simply not want to bother trying to embrace active support? Is it all too hard for them? Instead of wasting money on Hatamoto, maybe spend some money on a plane trip to the Westfalenstadion.

     

    The FFA's latest marking gimmick is to say that supporters "Power The Game".

     

    It's up to the FFA to ensure that this power isn't suffocated, or switched off at the source by those who seek to destroy football. If Damien de Bohun or David Gallop can't do that, they should step down and allow people who aren't willing to let our sport remain demonised and attacked by the police and media to take over.

     

    Make no mistake fellow Wanderers, we are next.

     

    If the FFA attempt to introduce these ridiculous conditions onto the RBB they can have my membership back until they realise what a mistake they have made.

     

    Football without fans is nothing.

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    westofcentre

    Fan day experience. What a joke - RBB was caged off from the rest of the ground in case (as one security guard put it) the RBB spilled into the rest of the stadium.

     

    To which I replied "what do they expect the RBB to run riot on fan day?"

     

    We need action.

    Link to comment
    West13

    Fan day experience. What a joke - RBB was caged off from the rest of the ground in case (as one security guard put it) the RBB spilled into the rest of the stadium.

     

    To which I replied "what do they expect the RBB to run riot on fan day?"

     

    We need action.

    Lol. More cops and seccos than people in rbb bays

    Link to comment
    wanderersfanatic

    That's outrageous.

    The RBB aren't animals, what do they expect them to do during fan appreciation day???

     

     

     

    Somebody post a picof more cops and seccos than people in RBB!!!!

    Link to comment
    lloydy136

    The only way to counter this issue is with facts. We need to source specific data and then hit the airwaves. If the FFA won't speak out, then we must. We need to collect data on all incidents from the latest seasons in the NRL, AFL & A-League. Complete and accurate data on evictions and arrests from each game. We all know what is happening is bullshit, but we need something tangible and factual to base our argument around. We definitely need to speak out against this but if it's not done in a sensible and structured way, it won't help. With the right planning and coordination, why can't we active supporters constructively campaign against this "myth"? I see no reason why we can't.

     

    I couldn't agree with this more - email fozzie mack's article (with mack's blessing of course) and get him to write something supporting us in smh. ditto for ray gatt in the australian. we do have supporters in the msm - whether their masters agree to publish them is another questions but we can't have some of the blatantly incorrect statements that were in that herald sun article go unchallenged eg 'after a string of violent incidents' - what string? one punch at heart game, a cup thrown and a few flares? where is the 'violence' that is justifying all of this? the way that article paints it you would swear it was 1985 in the UK and fans were having fights after every match.

     

    this is 100% the afl using its power within the media and within governments to try to take away one of our biggest advantages over other sports. don't believe they would do that? remember the Channel 7 NSL rights situation. people at the time said 'why would they buy the rights and then bury it?' proof came later that it was a deliberate and concerted effort by the afl and the media to crush our game. this is just their latest tactic. the disgusting thing is that the clubs and the ffa are a party to it.

    Link to comment
    rcfinc

    I sit high in the western stand and enjoy the atmosphere.  Except when the flares are lit.  I look at the private box where Frank Lowy, David Gallop, Kyle Patterson and various others often sit and wonder how they will explain the flares to the media or the police or more importantly the Wanderers sponsors.  And the sponsors must be thinking how will they respond to the non-footballing media that we know too well - both print, radio, and TV.

     

    Just google Western Sydney Wanderers and flares to see what the media thinks of the Wanderers and in most cases the photographs and the comments will be about flares and in the same sentence soccer hooligans.

     

    Stop the flares and you will stop 95% of the negative press.  A lit flare is such as easy target for a media looking at ways of destroying our game.  How often have you seen a flare at their beloved AFL, NRL, or Cricket?  It must also drive the police crazy as they have a primary roll in keeping the public safe.  Stop the flares and the police focus will diminish.

     

    Is this too simplistic a viewpoint?  If you surveyed all the WSW stakeholders including all members, officials, security, police, sponsors, potential owners, FFA, NSW govt, etc - what would be their top security concern?

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    Guest ZipGunBop

    Guest ZipGunBop

    Posted

    These sorts of things will push us away from any "working together" stand.

     

    Keep in the shadows my brothers.

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    westofcentre

    I will probably be pilloried for saying this. And excuse me if I am out of line.

     

    now I understand the flare issue. I have even posted about how flares damage the club. Bit holy sh it, a guy is lighting a flare, he isnt oh I dont know going to an NRL match getting pi ssed and king hitting someone.

     

    He isnt doing drugs, or getting a players child to hold up a VB sign on a post match interview (Mr Fitler ahem).

     

    But apparently it warrants the might of the entire NSW police force from riot squad to helicopters.

     

    overreaction?

     

    Im sorry guys I doubt very much if flares were to dissapear so would our problems with the authorities. This is not so much a security issue. It is an agenda driven issue that is bigger then flares.

     

    the AFL aligned media would just find sommething else like I dont know, broken chairs, or some idiot throwing a glass.

    Edited by westofcentre
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    • Popular Comment
    Benched
    • Popular Comment

     

    Makes me sick. 

     

    A key point that Mack brings up though is FFA's interest in Terrace Australis. If those involved tell the FFA to stick their socceroos active support up their ass, could this possibly open positive talks regarding A-League active support? 

    That could happen soon.

     

    I can confirm Terrace Australis has told FFA to get farked. There is no more TA!

    Link to comment
    MCHammer

    I will probably be pilloried for saying this. And excuse me if I am out of line.

     

    now I understand the flare issue. I have even posted about how flares damage the club. Bit holy sh it, a guy is lighting a flare, he isnt oh I dont know going to an NRL match getting pi ssed and king hitting someone.

     

    He isnt doing drugs, or getting a players child to hold up a VB sign on a post match interview (Mr Fitler ahem).

     

    But apparently it warrants the might of the entire NSW police force from riot squad to helicopters.

     

    overreaction?

     

    Im sorry guys I doubt very much if flares were to dissapear so would our problems with the authorities. This is not so much a security issue. It is an agenda driven issue that is bigger then flares.

     

    the AFL aligned media would just find sommething else like I dont know, broken chairs, or some idiot throwing a glass.

    True, however to not have the FFA or even the club support its supporters in the right way speaks volumes. And from their point of view flares may be the sticking point. 

     

    Does not excuse the manner in which FFA or MVFC has acted though

    Edited by MCHammer
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    westofcentre

     

     

    Makes me sick. 

     

    A key point that Mack brings up though is FFA's interest in Terrace Australis. If those involved tell the FFA to stick their socceroos active support up their ass, could this possibly open positive talks regarding A-League active support?

     

    That could happen soon.

    I can confirm Terrace Australis has told FFA to get farked. There is no more TA!

    Wow not even as a more "independent" group?

     

    Well done Benched!

     

    I will probably be pilloried for saying this. And excuse me if I am out of line.

    now I understand the flare issue. I have even posted about how flares damage the club. Bit holy sh it, a guy is lighting a flare, he isnt oh I dont know going to an NRL match getting pi ssed and king hitting someone.

    He isnt doing drugs, or getting a players child to hold up a VB sign on a post match interview (Mr Fitler ahem).

    But apparently it warrants the might of the entire NSW police force from riot squad to helicopters.

    overreaction?

    Im sorry guys I doubt very much if flares were to dissapear so would our problems with the authorities. This is not so much a security issue. It is an agenda driven issue that is bigger then flares.

    the AFL aligned media would just find sommething else like I dont know, broken chairs, or some idiot throwing a glass.

     

    True, however to not have the FFA or even the club support its supporters in the right way speaks volumes. And from their point of view flares may be the sticking point.

    Thats a good point. And a valid one. But I also think to an extent the club knows the "real politics" of the matter amd knows who's bread is buttered where and is trying to play the game.

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    dmixtaaa

    Mack, great article, in particular the piece on corruption and how the media have their hands in the AFL pie. Whilst I don't agree with the heavy handedness of all of the steps to curb sokkah hooliganism, I do see a need for tighter security. How a (no) Heart supporter can walk up to an away bay and clock one of our brothers was definitely not a good look for the game. SMS Dob-a-yob hotlines have been in use for many sports at our major venues around the country for a few years now. We  know of all the struggles in this regard and it's never going to go away whilst media runs this country as it does. All we can do is take an individual approach to behaviour attitudes, if you do nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about.

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    dmixtaaa

    I will probably be pilloried for saying this. And excuse me if I am out of line.

     

    now I understand the flare issue. I have even posted about how flares damage the club. Bit holy sh it, a guy is lighting a flare, he isnt oh I dont know going to an NRL match getting pi ssed and king hitting someone.

     

    He isnt doing drugs, or getting a players child to hold up a VB sign on a post match interview (Mr Fitler ahem).

     

    But apparently it warrants the might of the entire NSW police force from riot squad to helicopters.

     

    overreaction?

     

    Im sorry guys I doubt very much if flares were to dissapear so would our problems with the authorities. This is not so much a security issue. It is an agenda driven issue that is bigger then flares.

     

    the AFL aligned media would just find sommething else like I dont know, broken chairs, or some idiot throwing a glass.

    Not the F word again! I don't think they help the cause though.

    Link to comment
    Drone

     

    The FFA will fight violence ... that barely exists

    The FFA wants to crack down on football hooliganism but there is little to gain by treating fans like criminals

     

    81506336460.jpg
     
    Is hooliganism really a pressing problem in Australia? Photograph: Samuel Kubani/AFP/Getty Images
     

    There are times when Australian football is just too good to be true. Today is one of those days. In partnership with Victorian police and the Melbourne clubs, this morning the FFA announced it is cracking down on violence. Call it what you want – soccer violence, football hooliganism, an excuse to wear Fred Perry button-downs and Adidas trainers – enough is enough.

    Naturally, to encourage us all to stop throwing our over-priced, plastic-cupped, mid-strength beer at the players, officials and opposing fans, the A-League have enlisted the services of Kevin Muscat to sell the message.

    The FFA has made some interesting decisions over the years. One was to appoint Ben Buckley as CEO in 2006. Another was to court Fifa's self-appointed ragged-trousered philanthropist, Jack Warner, in the infamous World Cup bid. Another still was to employ Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck to bring back that old feeling of disappointment in your gut whenever you watch the Socceroos. And now this.

    Kevin Muscat: the man who rearranged Christophe Dugarry's knee ligaments in a friendly; who ended Matty Holmes's career; who gave Adrian Zahra this friendly tap-up in the Melbourne derby is now being used to plead with confused fans to respect the family friendly nature of the A-League.

    This is one of those moments where half-baked writers like myself are given a free kick at being funny. This is a joke we simply can't butcher. It is, as Paul Keating once said in reference to Alexander Downer, "the salmon that jumps on the hook for you".

    The only thing sillier than the Ghandi-fication of the man Martin Grainger called "the most hated man in football" is the new police measures themselves. One has to wonder what the FFA is playing at with this decision. Of all the threatening environments one might find oneself on a Saturday night, A-League matches rank fairly low. I've seen more acts of violence towards Hungry Jack's toilet-bowls on Oxford Street than I have at most A-League fixtures. If transit officers are just failed policemen, to me those stadium security guards are just failed toilet-cleaners.

    Victorian police commander Rick Nugent said in a statement: "What we're doing is collectively standing up against violence ... we're going to do whatever we can to ensure we provide a safe environment for supporters, families and kids who come along to watch sport."

    Of course, few people could argue with the sentiment. However, the measures being planned to keep the natives from cannibalising each other do seem a little out of step with the current culture of A-League matches.

    With the blessing of the FFA and the two Melbourne clubs, the police plan to closely monitor fans by CCTV, dedicate a crack team of detectives to investigate any incidents at matches, start a 'dob-a-yobbo' hotline for 'good' fans to point out any 'bad' fans who give them the stink-eye, and implement stronger ticket regulations to ensure the riff-raff have to sit through Andy Harper's commentary from home or the nearest pub. Punishment enough.

    If the Victorian measures are seen to be successful, the FFA plans to expand its security operations around the country. Perhaps the worst part of all this is it will further add to an already severe persecution complex among many A-League fans.

    That said, there is more than a hint of hypocrisy from the FFA, which likes to trade on images of active supporters in its promotional packages and ad campaigns. Take a look at the latest Power the Game advert. Freeze-frame it. Dob them all in on your smartphone for participating in an ad that is surely a crime against good taste.

    The FFA has a history of hyperventilating at any hint of anti-social behaviour. Hiring a private security firm, Hatamoto, to police the terraces has been particularly unpopular in recent years.

    Treating A-League supporters like criminals does little to create the impression that football is a pleasant place to spend your evening. If anything, it's helping create a folk-devil for the tabloid press.

    Edited by Drone
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    Montalbano

    My issue with flares is the amount that get lit. For example 10 to 15 in on game is just ridicilous (anyone remember the GF last year) Other than the amount of flares that get lit, I have no problems with everything else that is being done. Just keep supporting your team and creating the buzz and it will all be ok. Save the flares for the special occasions.

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    mack

    There is a huge difference between ensuring segregation between supporters is kept, and tryin to destroy the groups themselves.

    Link to comment
    Montalbano

    whats the point of lighting one? might as well light a lot for a better effect  :xnod:

    It is the difference between what might cop you a slap on the wrist and what might get you a serious hardcore ban.

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    CMontgomeryBurns

    Flares or no flares, the police and security have it in for active supporters.  No flares lit?  No problem, I saw a guy standing on a seat and swearing, better crash tackle him, assault him, escalate matters with his mates and end up with a full scale riot.  Acab.

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    erthyjkdcghcn

    i was there at the fan day today with my lady and 5 month old...rbb fenced of from the stadium and more police and security than people soaking in the sun in their bays. really?........WE ARE FOOTBALL TEAM SUPPORTERS...NOT DEMENTED METH TAKING GANG RAPING CRIMINALS?....this will not end well. things will blow sky high before they see the truth.

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    Benched

    It's really sad that instead of focusing on what was shaping as the best HAL season ever, the attention now seems directed at this ridiculous stance from the FFA and of course MVFC. 

    Talk about shooting themselves in the foot. I hope these issues are raised tonight on TWG.

    Link to comment
    Montalbano

    Flares or no flares, the police and security have it in for active supporters.  No flares lit?  No problem, I saw a guy standing on a seat and swearing, better crash tackle him, assault him, escalate matters with his mates and end up with a full scale riot.  Acab.

    That's another issue and I will side with the RBB 100% on that.

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    westofcentre

    For those wh dont think these securoty measures wont hit us in a big way next season look at the gating off of the RBB on a simple fan day. A taste of things to come. We can just wait for it to hapoen or get organised.

    Link to comment
    CMontgomeryBurns

     

    Flares or no flares, the police and security have it in for active supporters.  No flares lit?  No problem, I saw a guy standing on a seat and swearing, better crash tackle him, assault him, escalate matters with his mates and end up with a full scale riot.  Acab.

    That's another issue and I will side with the RBB 100% on that.

     

    I should probably clarify that I was speaking hypothetically in that example; that isn't an incident which I have experienced or witnessed first hand, not today nor in the past, but it does happen.

    Link to comment
    Llama

     

     

    Makes me sick. 

     

    A key point that Mack brings up though is FFA's interest in Terrace Australis. If those involved tell the FFA to stick their socceroos active support up their ass, could this possibly open positive talks regarding A-League active support? 

    That could happen soon.

     

    I can confirm Terrace Australis has told FFA to get farked. There is no more TA!

     

     

    Why?

    Link to comment
    Benched

    Simple, fans rights. All of TA are active supporters of their various clubs as well. 

     

     

    hate page breaks....that's in reply to Llama.

    Link to comment


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