The " British " Disease !

The game we call "Soccer " was invented in Britain and went on to become a world game, but several decades ago British Soccer fans were so feared for their riotous behaviour that they were banned from travelling to the continent of Europe.   It was simply drunken anarchy when a parochial army descended on a European city with the intention of brawling and causing the utmost damage to cars, shopfronts - and opposing fans.

Australia was fairly evenly divided between Rugby League and Australian rules during past generations, but now Soccer has gained a foothold here and we have a very healthy national competition.  There are worrying signs that the supporters of one team are fast developing a siege mentality that manifests itself in violence - not only in the stands but when those fans choose to move as a mob on their way to games.

So it was this past weekend, when Western Sydney Wanderers were scheduled to play Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium.  Once again Wanderers fans chose to conduct their traditional "march " to the stadium and a group of about sixty broke away and launched an attack on a much smaller number of Sydney FC fans waiting to enter the stadium.   The police waded in with capsicum spray, and when the trouble subsided it was clear that the Wanderers fans had come prepared for warfare.  The debris on the ground included weapons designed to be victorious in a street battle.

The trouble didn't end there.   Sydney FC won the game 1-0 and there was constant aggression in the stands, with the lighting of flares and the throwing of smoke bombs.   In particular, the setting off of flares is very much a British Soccer peculiarity that is dangerous amongst a crowd of people.

This seems to be becoming a constant trend of aggressive conduct whenever the Wanderers come into competition with other teams and it is fast developing into a clan embrace of all things that constitute the western part of Sydney.   Western Sydney sees itself as the venue for  " battlers " who struggle financially in comparison with the more affluent harbour front  suburbs.   The Wanderers are a recently formed team and their surprising early success in winning games attracted legions of fans. It seems obvious that a "chip on the shoulder "mentality has emerged and many fans are using their team as a conduit to express anger at what they consider western Sydney's shortcomings.

This is probably a small hardcore of troublemakers but just as what was termed by Europe as the "British Disease " began to snowball to the point it put competitive Soccer in danger, this movement has the potential to force Soccer matches to be played in closed stadiums and only viewed on television screens.  The level of violence attributed to Wanderers fans is steadily growing and unless it is checked it could gain unstoppable momentum.

The tools exist to identify the leaders who provoke trouble.  It may take face recognition technology to exclude them from venues but that was the measure that tamed British Soccer.  The vast majority of Soccer crowds are well behaved but when a hard core starts trouble it is easy for moderates to be drawn in - and with the Wanderers this is now at tipping point.

Australian Soccer needs to treat this threat seriously.   Otherwise it could develop to the stage where the game is merely the excuse for an old fashioned riot with bloodletting that appeals to the hoodlum element !