When you think about the ridiculous presence of the riot police at last weekend's A-League fixture between Melbourne Victory and Newcastle at Telstra Dome it really makes you think.
Are the authorities/people in power here so deluded that they feel a minor incident such as banter between rival fans needs to be controlled with extreme measures such as closing off an entire section of the stadium to home fans and strategically placing intimidatingly dressed police officers around the Arena?
Most of the "supporter groups" around the league are made up of people who care about the game and do not want even minor incidents harming the image of the sport. I guess the people in power feel that the A-League's many supporter groups are made up of psychotic individuals such as José Gastón Mendoza, leader of Argentine club Colon's Barra Brava (supporter group) who was recently handed a six-year jail term for trying to kill a fellow fan in February 2006.
Until the FFA allow representatives from supporter groups to be present at meetings, decisions will continue to be made against active support in a bid to curb "Hooliganism" (I've only ever missed two Melbourne home games and I've never seen anything happen). Leading supporters need to have a voice in order to convince the FFA and stadium officials that active support is harmless and actually improves the perception of the A-League.
Sure, banter will be shared between opposition supporters but Police need to be trained for this. At the moment they are causing more trouble than the supporters themselves by unleashing capsicum spray at the feintest whiff of banter and then reporting back saying that it was necessary to stop the impending "riot".
The FFA need to work together with active supporters and police officials to come up with the best possible solution that will not harm Football's authentic atmosphere in Australia.
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