Flare Troubles
According to a Victoria Police report, a woman aged in her twenties and a twelve year-old boy were burnt by flares lit in Melbourne Victory’s active supporter group, the North Terrace, during Saturday night’s A-League clash with Brisbane Roar at Etihad Stadium.
It was only a matter of time until someone was hurt after a glaringly noticeable increase in the use of flares on match-days, but it’s the ease of purchasing them and smuggling them into the ground which is the real problem.
I tested out security myself, placing a metal water bottle in my bag, wrapped around a jacket. The bag-checker gave my bag a quick check a little tap, and waved my through.
It is similarly easy to smuggle a flare into the stadium.
Once they are in the ground, it becomes excruciatingly difficult to police. The flares themselves are often lit in areas where masses are people are crowded together and police are unable to access them safely. This is worrying because it relies on the responsibility of people to ensure that pyrotechnics do not make it into active supporter groups, and as we’ve seen, a small minority within these groups cannot be trusted.
Also worrying is that most of the people I have seen light flares, are just teenagers themselves.
This is not a good sign as far of the culture of the club is concerned. Victory has had its share of active support issues over the last few seasons, and this newfound flare culture is probably most dumbfounding of them all.
We appreciate flares as a spectacle, but the fact is that they are not safe, and there is clear logic as to why they are banned in stadiums.
Maybe only draconian measures will help to solve the situation. Increased regulation over the purchasing of flares – such as the need to provide a boat license – could be a suitable measure.
But that harks back to the nanny state issue, and surely people should be responsible enough to do the right thing. It is a predicament though, especially with how difficult it is to police the lighting of flares in the crowd.
The North Terrace itself needs to take a stronger stance and co-operate with the police in isolating individuals and ensuring that they are dealt with. At this stage it seems as their agreement with the club is more of a blanket measure than an actual commitment to snuffing out anti-social behaviour at games.
If nothing is done, expect to see more injuries, more restrictions, and more media smear campaigns – none of which are beneficial for the club that these ‘supporters’ claim to represent.
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