Wild Fan Behavior Costs Australia Soccer Fans Major World Cup Tradition

MELBOURNE, May 6 (Reuters) – Melbourne’s Fed Square will not show any World Cup matches on the big screen for the first time in more than 20 years due to poor fan behavior at Australian matches, venue management said on Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of fans have gathered in the heart of Melbourne’s central business district to watch Australian matches at the square since the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Video of fans celebrating wildly during the 2022 Qatar tournament as Australia advanced to the last 16 has gone viral. However, the celebrations were spoiled by a series of incidents that left fans injured by flares and bullets.

Fans stormed the barricades during the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England, prompting management to cancel plans to stage the Matildas’ third-place play-off match at the venue.

‘FED ​​IS HARMING THE SQUARE’

“After careful consideration, we have made the decision not to show the World Cup on Fed Square’s Big Screen this year,” Melbourne Arts Regional Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick said in a statement on Wednesday.

“This is due to the behavior of a small number of people at previous screenings, which was unacceptable and damaging to Fed Square.”

The decision sparked an angry response from Australian football pundits and supporters’ groups, who said the majority of well-intentioned fans were being paid by a small minority.

“Pictures and videos of Fed Square during the 2022 World Cup were spread around the world, we want to see this repeated,” Patrick Clancy, President of the Australian Football Fans’ Association, said in a statement to local media.

Football Australia said they were extremely disappointed and called on the Melbourne Arts District to reverse its decision.

“Melbourne is one of Australia’s sporting and multicultural capitals and this decision goes against that tradition,” Football Australia CEO Martin Kugeler said.

“Federation Square has created some of the most memorable moments in Australian sporting history, with the Socceroos dating back to the 2006 FIFA World Cup matches and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“We ask our fans to join us in calling on the Melbourne Arts Precinct and the Victorian government to correct their decisions in the best interests of football fans, local businesses and all Victorians.”

Australia will face Türkiye, Paraguay and the USA in the World Cup to be held between 11 June and 19 July.