Leadership and Transparency

This weekend the active bays of the A-League will be very much like the leadership of the league, absent.

Fan bases across the league have united in strength in numbers boycott as thousands of football fans watch our beautiful game from the pub or from their couch as #StayAtThePubRound takes hold.

This weekend empty stadiums will greet the teams as many fans take a stand against the current FFA regime and the current handling of the banning process.  The current situation was ignited by an article that appeared from Rebecca Wilson in the Daily Telegraph over a week ago.  Wilson who doesn’t hide her hatred for football or the fans who watch the beautiful game and has ironically brought fans together; something she wasn’t attempting to do,

Football fans around Australia have for the first time in a very long time have found a united voice and cause to bring those together who over the last decade have been vigorously opposed to one another.  The fan boycott has shown those that run football how strong the fans can be in Australia and for the very first time many are starting to take the various fan bases seriously.  No longer are fans just puppets in a marketing campaign, they are showing they are the ones driving the game in Australia.

Whilst I have very little time for those guilty parties on the banned list I believe we need an appeals system and a far more transparent policy in place for those attending an A-League game.  Of the 198 people on the banned list we won’t know how many of these individuals are innocent but must give those fans a right of reply.  Whilst evidence will be very tough to gather for the individuals they should have the option of clearing their name if so fit.

I support the FFA and their hard stance on certain offences.  Violent acts and flares shouldn’t be tolerated at A-League games and I welcome the banning of these individuals guilty of these offences.  If the FFA becomes more transparent with their policies fans would be far more supportive and accepting of any changes.  The vast majority of fans are not boycotting because of the bans many individuals have received, they are disillusioned by the current process and the lack of appeal.

Real football fans don’t bring flares to games, commit violent acts or damage football stadiums.  Lengthy bans are welcomed by all fans and any anti social behaviour shouldn’t be tolerated.

We must remember 99.99% of fans attend games because they are passionate about the world game and want to support their team; there is no room for thugs to ruin the reputation the legitimate A-League fans have worked so hard to achieve.  The boycotts happening this weekend aren’t about the patrons who deserve their bans, it’s about how the FFA were late to the party defending our game and getting an appeals process for those fans who deserve a fair hearing.

The severe lack of leadership is disturbing in our game and the meek press conferences that have taken place this week have clearly showed how far removed the businessmen of the FFA are from the real fans supporting the game.  Steven Lowy and David Gallop had a great chance this week to stamp their mark on our game this week after the stranglehold of Frank Lowy; sadly the totalitarian style of Frank still lingers large over the current FFA board.  For far too long the fans have been taken for granted and you can’t help but feel part of this has fuelled the boycott.

Plenty of issues still linger for the FFA to address and most will unfortunately have to wait for the off season.   The appeals process and treatment of fans is something that cannot wait and must be resolved post haste.  Addressing this issue in the New Year would be another monumental failure for our game.

The FFA must show leadership and transparency so our great game can continue to grow and become the entity our fans know it can be.

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