Media coverage of a spectator assault at a weekend football (soccer) match in Australia has a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic wondering whether it signals a new moral panic about soccer hooliganism in Australia.

 

The ‘king hit’ on a Western Sydney Wanderers fan by a purported supporter of Melbourne Heart at  an A-League fixture at AAMI Park last Friday night has already been seen on TV news bulletins and YouTube clips by millions.

 

“It was straight out of an all too familiar news grab of a weekend brawl outside a bar in any city in Australia,” said Professor Steve Redhead, adjunct professor of sport and media at the CSU School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst.

 

“But this was inside the stadium, in the professional arm of a rapidly growing code, looking for big sponsorship money, part of a worldwide sporting enterprise. Does this herald a new moral panic about soccer hooliganism in Australia?

 

“Well, it might, if tabloid editors have their way, but a cool look at soccer fandom in Australia would be a better way to go.

 

“Certainly there have been unsavoury incidents at A-League games this season, but the most striking feature of recent matches has been the organised fan groups’ protests at being stereotyped as hooligans, and the strikingly ‘carnivalesque’ fandom of many teams’ spectators.

 

“Carnival was a way of letting off steam, having a good time in an earlier period in history when times were tough. In many ways, that is what soccer fandom provides today.

 

“The Western Sydney Wanderers - the team, not the politicians looking for votes - have not just had a fine time on the field in their inaugural season in the A-League, they are deservedly top of the ladder. But their spectators have done them proud too, travelling away in numbers, adopting European-style fan practices, and protesting when the security companies, football authorities and media have done them wrong.

 

“The Red and Black Bloc at Western Sydney are becoming known for their large flag-waving Serie-A type celebrations behind the goal, aping Italy’s notorious Ultras fans, and their humorous adoption of the crazy Polish fans’ tactic at Lech Posznan which involves whole sections of the crowd turning their backs on the field, linking arms and jumping up and down during play. Like Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United fans, they have also engaged in ‘silent’ fan protests during games this season, in order to call out what they see as unfair and unjust labelling of some of their number as ‘soccer hooligans’.

 

“The particular target of fans this season has been the heavy-handed policing at matches by one particular private security firm. The Sound of Silence protests by fans enraged by their treatment has drawn widespread praise by supporters of the code across Australia.