Violent footy fans ruining game
After another sickening brawl on Saturday, the AFL and its venues are desperate to stop crowd violence so they don’t have to consider splitting up rival fans.
VIC News
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Violent footy fans are on notice after three crowd clashes in as many weeks.
Violence reared its ugly head at the MCG again on Saturday at the match between rivals Collingwood and Carlton, with one person interviewed and released by police pending further investigation.
It came after a disabled Hawthorn fan was punched following the team’s Round 7 game against Melbourne, and police investigated an alleged assault on ANZAC DAY in which a man was believed to have been punched in the back.
The season’s opening round was also marred by violence with a fan wearing a Tigers jumper throwing haymakers at another fan while he lay on the ground.
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HAWTHORN SUPPORTER ASSAULTED BY MELBOURNE FAN
The AFL and its venues are desperate to arrest the spate of recent crowd violence so they do not have to consider splitting up rival fans.
Some A League clubs have active areas of fans from one side heavily patrolled by dozens of security guards after violence and incidents with flares.
Victoria Police and the MCC will meet this week to discuss security numbers at Round 9 games in Melbourne.
“Victoria Police treats poor behaviour at sports matches very seriously and what we saw (on Saturday) is completely unacceptable,” Commander Tim Hansen from Victoria Police said.
“Both inside and around the ground, people will be held accountable for their actions.”
MCC boss Stuart Fox has urged feuding fans to shape up or stop attending games after footy’s latest alcohol-fuelled crowd fight.
Fox told the Herald Sun it was time for an isolated group of fans to consider how their behaviour was ruining the football experience.
“We have zero tolerance to the behaviour displayed by a handful of people in the crowd of 70,000 yesterday,” he said.
“The MCG is constantly working with the police and the AFL in the lead up to every match to ensure the ground is a safe and inclusive place for all.”
Saturday’s incidents came despite 300 security guards and police at the game and as many as 1000 events staff in total.
The MCC has ramped up security more than any public facility in Australia in the past five years given terrorism fears and crowd violence.
There are also 500 security cameras across the ground and its surroundings.
But often when fights break out on the siren with thousands of fans flooding out of their seats it is challenging for security to get to them quickly.
Fans are also filming crowd fights in greater numbers than in previous years but the AFL and venues accept is a clear issue with the number of those incidents.
The MCC conducts security assessments before and after every game, with some games between traditional rivals including Carlton-Collingwood considered high risk.
Security and police numbers can range from between 200-300 for games depending on the risk, with some of those costs passed on to clubs as part of their gate takings.
Premier Daniel Andrews said yesterday that his government was taking the spike in footy fan violence seriously and would work with Victoria Police, venue operators and the AFL to fix the issue.
“Footy is a family game and I’m very confident that both the AFL, those that operate venues and Victoria Police will have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to those that aren’t there to enjoy the experience,” Andrews said.
“We’re not going to have that take hold in our true national game, it’s not in the spirit of football and it’s not in the spirit of being Victorian.”
AFL Fans Association President Gerry Eeman called for harsher bans on fans who engaged in violence at the footy.
“Anyone who gets involved in a fight, we would like them to be banned by the stadium and their club if they’re members,” Eeman said.
“Not just a season ban, we would want to see long bans and even life bans if they are serious incidents.”
And his message to fans who want to scuffle: “Don’t come, the rest of us don’t want you there if you want to engage in this behaviour. Find another hobby.”