Jump to content
Melbourne Football

Western Sydney


LR9
 Share

Recommended Posts

About time..

 

 

As a direct result of the anti-social behaviour and ignition of flares at the Western Sydney Wanderers vs Ulsan Hyundai match on Wednesday 26 February within the Northern Terrace the Western Sydney Wanderers, Pirtek Stadium, Football Federation Australia and Police are conducting a detailed formal investigation and review of all available evidence ahead of initiating a series of charges and legal and venue related sanctions.

The investigation will aim to identify the perpetrators and ensure that the maximum possible sanctions (Criminal and Civil) are invoked with a view to the eradication of this anti-social behaviour from our game and the subsequent upholding of community standards to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for all who attend matches at Pirtek Stadium.

Effective immediately will be the banning of flags, fence banners and concession items that are directly connected to the three supporter groups who occupied the area in which the disturbances of Wednesday night emanated.

The potential for this step to be implemented was outlined to Red and Black Bloc representatives prior to the season commencing via a Memorandum of Understanding and also a pre-season members forum.

The ban on items relating to these supporter groups within the Red and Black Bloc will be indefinite until the police, FFA and internal investigations have concluded, the perpetrators identified and appropriate measures taken including all available legal penalties in addition to FFA ban’s of up to five years from all football matches in Australia.

Anyone with information that can assist the current investigation process is encouraged to contact the club or FFA directly as it has become very clear that the majority of our 17,000 members also hold a zero tolerance for this sort of behaviour in venue and the damage that it can do to our club and all associated with it.

Asian Football Confederation regulations stipulate that there is a $5000 USD fine for every flare that is discharged at an ACL match. This information had been communicated to Red and Black Bloc representatives late 2013. In addition it is a criminal offence to discharge a flare within a normal Hyundai A-League fixture. The majority of members who continue to support our club with the wonderful pride, passion and exemplary behaviour they do should be aware that detailed discussions have occurred with Police since Wednesday night and an absolute zero tolerance will now be enforced even more strongly than it has been in the past until this element is removed from our game.

If you would like to receive a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding or have specific questions in relation to active supporter operations within the club members are welcome to emailactive@wswanderersfc.com.au where a club representative will respond appropriately.

For reference “concession items” are items that are not allowed into the venue without prior approval and consent from the venue. This approval is requested from the venue by the Western Sydney Wanderers on behalf of the requesting members and includes all oversized flags, fence banners, musical instruments, megaphones or loudhailers, TIFO’s, Capo’s stands and confetti.

Edited by hedaik
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Harsh, but deserved.

 

If this ever happens to our club because of a few idiots then I'll be mega pissed.

Weren't we warned before the first derby this year, that if we broke chairs then we could lose banners, flags, etc? A good testament to us that we refrained from doing those things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fucking pathetic fair-weather fans (the RBB primarily anyway, from all accounts the side-bays are usually pretty good). 

 

How many warnings did these idiots get? They finally get punished, so they sook and play the victim. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The RBB understands the lack of clarity surrounding yesterday's silent protest. Be assured that despite the social media rumour mill and some journalists conjuring their own truths, the decision to protest has no link to the repercussions of flare use during Wednesday's ACL match against Ulsan.

Then in the next paragraph

This is done by implying that the whole of the RBB is to blame for the events of Wednesday night, not a handful or a minority who engaged in such anti-social behaviour.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The RBB issues this statement on behalf of its members and to all WSW fans.

Firstly we would like to thank all our members and fans around the stadium for their continued support on match days. Your contribution is appreciated, welcomed and encouraged. This was none more evident than on Sunday at the match vs Newcastle Jets.

The RBB understands the lack of clarity surrounding yesterday's silent protest. Be assured that despite the social media rumour mill and some journalists conjuring their own truths, the decision to protest has no link to the repercussions of flare use during Wednesday's ACL match against Ulsan.

The tone of the email was divisive, and generalising in its condemnation of the RBB as a whole. Not to mention poorly worded, making members come to differing conclusions. The club is intentionally trying to divide us, the fans, by pitting the active and non-active supporters against each other. This is a cheap publicity stunt to show that the club is doing something, and to satisfy the media and FFA alike. This is done by implying that the whole of the RBB is to blame for the events of Wednesday night, not a handful or a minority who engaged in such anti-social behaviour. The club also does not make mention of the fact that the RBB bays on Wednesday night were general admission tickets, not only ticketed members. Generalisations are being made, and the common principles of society are being ignored. This also contradicts Lyall Gorman’s continued assertions that the Wanderers are a community, because they are trying to divide this community through such statements. 

1. An MOU between the RBB and WSW was never signed nor agreed upon. A draft copy was provided by WSW to the RBB. An MOU is defined as an agreement between two parties, not one party which assumes its acceptance. The club makes reference to this MOU in its member update email as an iron clad agreement, and advises members that they can request a copy of the document. This is misleading and leads all fans to believe that there was such an agreement in place, which is not the case.

2. Open and transparent dialogue between WSW and RBB is being compromised due to the events leading to the members email sent out by the club. A draft of the email was provided to the RBB only minutes before it was made public. This email was then sent out en masse while concerns regarding the wording and content of the email were being discussed with the club. This concern was communicated to the club prior to the Sunday’s game, but duly dismissed.

3. Due legal process regarding bans and appeals is not being applied. Alleged perpetrators are “identified”, and duly banned without an appeals process or explanation, nor proof of guilt. These supporters are given no rights, even if proven innocent in a court of law. Not to mention the extremely aggressive stand over tactics and measures taken to harass members by police and Hatamoto. There is a severe lack of transparency. Some examples are;

• Members of the RBB being followed by HATAMOTO, the FFA’s hired undercover security firm, inside and outside FFA grounds to build profiles against members, including at the pre-match pub and on the way home.

• Members who have been banned and charged, taking their grievances to court, spending time and thousands of dollars to have the charges overturned, yet not having their FFA bans rescinded. One member was entitled to press charges against police heavy handedness but chose not to. His FFA ban is still in effect, with no effort from the club to represent him.

• An elderly member of the RBB punched in the face, and nose broken by stadium security. Member invests time and money at hospitals and courts. No assistance is provided by the club, not even a simple apology is afforded to the member and his family. The club advises it will meet with the member after the finals series as they are “busy”. This is yet to occur.

• General harassment by Hatamoto and police on game day. When questioned, police advise that these are instructions given to them to take a “zero tolerance” approach. 

• Members handed 12 month bans with no prior warning for previously throwing receipt rolls as streamers. 

4. The club and A League use the RBB as a marketing tool to promote their brand to members and sponsors alike, in advertising and promotional material, but concurrently attempt to stifle the organic growth of the RBB and active support in general. This is palpable in the proposed implementation of a “members only active ticket” scheme for away matches. Tickets will only be allowed to be purchased at a “one per member” basis, and identification shown with the membership card to prove identity. This eliminates the opportunity for potential “new” active members to attend away matches. The travelling support the RBB has become renowned for will slowly be eradicated.

There is a clear lack of respect and appreciation being shown towards fans, active and non-active as a whole. There are certain instances that affirm this, some at the match on Sunday vs Newcastle Jets;

- The denial of a peaceful statement in the form of a banner was rejected by the powers that be, moments before the message banners reading “Stand United, Never Divided” were to be unveiled. This was contradictory to the fact that the club had confirmed they would not oppose the messages as long as they were neither offensive nor provocative. These message banners were intended to show unity between the RBB and the supporters in the rest of the stadium.

- Overzealous police and riot squad officers intimidating and provoking RBB members at the “request of club and stadium officials” as mentioned by one officer on Sunday. A zero tolerance approach was requested by the club and stadium officials to police. Dozens of riot police were on hand, and needed to justify their presence. This occurred when random RBB members were unjustly targeted, evicted and subsequently served 12 month bans for trivial reasons such as swearing. Some members taken out for questioning had their mobile phones confiscated, and gone through by officers. Police also prevented members from leaving their bays for a period of nearly 15 minutes. Members could not leave to go to the toilet or buy food / drinks. No reason was provided for this. 

- Banning of confetti being thrown from the east and west grandstands. Stakeholders and stadium representatives have stated that confetti is not allowed to be thrown in the “non-active” sections, as this is an additional cost that they do not want to have. Confetti can only be used in the active area with prior approval. Some members in the grandstands were threatened to have their memberships revoked by police if confetti was thrown. The club blames the stadium. The stadium blames the stakeholders. Passing the buck at its finest. This is a clear indication of the concern with the bottom line, rather than fan engagement.

The original intention was for the protest to last for a short period, notably half way through the first half, where the message banners would be unveiled, and then chanting would resume as normal. The stand over tactics of police and denial of the banner by the club, police and stadium exacerbated the issue, and forced the continuation of the protest until the 90th minute. The RBB remained in the terrace to the end of the match and applauded the players to let them know that we were there for them.

Nobody is bigger than the club, but a mutual respect is required to maintain a united, sustainable and successful team and active supporter group. 

The RBB has worked towards this through working on facilitating TIFO displays, various charity works, match day chants / choreography and the pre-game march, all of which require continuous behind the scenes efforts by members of the RBB, day and night, to ensure that the match day experience is the best. Countless hours and money has been spent by the RBB to make this the best active supporter group in Australia. 

The club must recognise this and see it as an asset, not a liability. Recognition not acclaim must be given to all, including non-active supporters, as we are all part of the match day experience. This is all done for no financial gain, but for the passion and pride the RBB has for the team. Unlike the club, the team and supporters are our interest, not the bottom line. 

The unity of our fans, the passionate support and the success of our team are our priority. See you at the derby, where it will be business as usual with the takeover of Allianz stadium.

STAND UNITED, NEVER DIVIDED.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The RBB understands the lack of clarity surrounding yesterday's silent protest. Be assured that despite the social media rumour mill and some journalists conjuring their own truths, the decision to protest has no link to the repercussions of flare use during Wednesday's ACL match against Ulsan.

Then in the next paragraph

This is done by implying that the whole of the RBB is to blame for the events of Wednesday night, not a handful or a minority who engaged in such anti-social behaviour.

 

whilst they make some valid points (which in turn are unlikely to make a difference), they lost me at this.

 

if there's no link, why bring it up :droy:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stumbled upon their letter on Facebook and read a few of the comments, one that stood out for me went something like this:

 

"Go attend an EPL game, after that you will commend the RBB on their exemplary behaviour"

 

Haha, could these guys get any more delusional? You barely see the sort of behaviour that RBB fans show at the EPL nowadays, maybe 30 years ago, but not now. 

 

The reason they're in this position now is that they consistently ignore any warnings they are given about their conduct, they have violent incidents with just about every fan base and they continuously rip flares despite being told not to, then when they get caught they cry victim, it's like dealing with a pack of 5 year old kids.

 

I have no doubt they are being targeted by Police but they need to take a step back and look at why they are treated that way. It's not because they're "passionate" like so many of them claim, it's because they act like try-hard hooligan idiots.

Edited by King Malta
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why are we talking about this mob on our forum? It's taken them less than two seasons to do more damage to the image of the A-League than the other 9 clubs put together.

 

Tonight's ABC radio news mentioned the Heart in the context of stamping out football hooliganism and the court case involving WSW/MV fans - for no reason other than we're a Melbourne club.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of these guys seem to live in la la land. Problem is that when you put on a performance like they did in Melbourne before Christmas, flares en masse at AAMI just behind RBB leaders, getting into the faces of security staff then the FFA said enough is enough. "We gave you plenty of rope and you decided to hang yourselves." Not saying that FFA and security have it perfect but some RBB wannabe hard heads not helping their cause.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why are we talking about this mob on our forum? It's taken them less than two seasons to do more damage to the image of the A-League than the other 9 clubs put together.

 

Tonight's ABC radio news mentioned the Heart in the context of stamping out football hooliganism and the court case involving WSW/MV fans - for no reason other than we're a Melbourne club.

What was said?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Why are we talking about this mob on our forum? It's taken them less than two seasons to do more damage to the image of the A-League than the other 9 clubs put together.

 

Tonight's ABC radio news mentioned the Heart in the context of stamping out football hooliganism and the court case involving WSW/MV fans - for no reason other than we're a Melbourne club.

What was said?

 

We'd have to get a transcript to be verbatim. But it was a police spokesman saying something like "working with both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart and the FFA to ensure that A-League games in Melbourne were family-friendly." It followed a report that four people were being charged over the incident involving WSW fans.

 

I thought it out of order to mention us, because by doing so people would associate Heart with irresponsible behaviour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Why are we talking about this mob on our forum? It's taken them less than two seasons to do more damage to the image of the A-League than the other 9 clubs put together.

 

Tonight's ABC radio news mentioned the Heart in the context of stamping out football hooliganism and the court case involving WSW/MV fans - for no reason other than we're a Melbourne club.

What was said?

 

We'd have to get a transcript to be verbatim. But it was a police spokesman saying something like "working with both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart and the FFA to ensure that A-League games in Melbourne were family-friendly." It followed a report that four people were being charged over the incident involving WSW fans.

 

I thought it out of order to mention us, because by doing so people would associate Heart with irresponsible behaviour.

 

Ahh, thanks for that. Mentioning Heart was pretty unnecessary on their part, the only stupid behaviour I can remember from us was the chair breaking thing and that West Sydney game last year. Other than that I would say that we are far better behaved than the RBB and NT. We also don't sook like the RBB and hold silent protests for ridiculous reasons.

Edited by xXJawsaXx
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Mebrahtu joins A-League Squad

 

New recruit Golgol Mebrahtu has been added to the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers Hyundai A-League squad following a long term injury to Tahj Minniecon.

Mebrahtu initially signed for the next two Hyundai A-League seasons as well as this year’s AFCChampions League but a hip injury to Minniecon has given the 23 year old a chance to stake his claim for a place earlier than expected.

Minniecon will be out of action for six weeks.

Daniel Mullen and Antony Golec remain in the ACL squad only.

 

 

hahaha those flogs giving naming rights to NRMA :droy:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a coincidence that the protest only really came into fruition after the fines for the flares. They didn't seem to have much of a problem with the club/FFA, etc. before the ACL match. In fact you would have thought that the ACL match would be the best time to raise awareness over the issues. Funny that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...