Fans letting off flares are the real enemy of football in Australia

THE morons ripping flares at A-League games are doing more damage to football than any of the perceived “enemies” of the game.

The real enemy of football in Australia

OPINION

THE morons ripping flares at A-League games are doing more damage to football than any of the perceived “enemies” of the game.

I’ve had enough of “wannabe ultras” ruining the game and club I love.

After Saturday night’s A-League game between champions Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers, we should have been talking about the action on the field.

After conceding an early goal at Etihad Stadium, the Wanderers completely dominated the reigning champions only for Victory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic to come to the home side’s rescue.

The Wanderers finally equalised with a stunning goal from super sub Brendon Santalab with two minutes to go and were unlucky to not take all three points.

It was as dominating display as you’ll see an away side produce against the Victory this season.

But rather than that being the talking point, it has been focused on the stack of flares and detonators that were left off by fans within the travelling Wanderers section.

(It’s worth noting a flare was also set off by the Victory’s active supporters as well).

The smoke on the field led to the game being stopped in the first half, with Victory scoring against the run of play when it resumed.

There are some football fans who think pyro is part of the atmosphere at games, pointing to leagues in Europe and South America.

But flares are illegal in Australia and anyone found with one at a game faces a massive ban.

So what happens? These idiots light them then throw them to avoid detection.

It’s only a matter of time before a ball boy or girl / security guard / police officer or a player is hit with a flare. Then wait for the headlines.

Which seems to be another complaint from some football fans: “The media is against us.”

Yet we continue to have a minority of idiots who give certain sections of media plenty of good reasons to give our game a kick.

But the biggest enemy of football in Australia isn’t the mainstream media or the FFA.

It’s morons who want to play out their Green Street Hooligans fantasy on A-League terraces.

Every time an incident like this overshadows the action on the pitch they’re doing damage.

No one is doubting the amazing atmosphere the Red and Black Bloc create at games. And it is only a very small minority of fans who are doing the wrong thing.

The Sydney derby, in my opinion, is the biggest sporting event in NSW thanks largely to the atmosphere created by the RBB and Sydney FC’s The Cove.

But it’s time for this small minority of morons to be weeded out.

Because they can’t possibly love the same game that I do, when they’re so intent on causing it damage.