Australia football chiefs vow to review fan ban amid boycott threat

Australian football chiefs on Thursday said they would review the A-League's banned fans policy in a desperate bid to make peace and avoid a damaging boycott of games by supporters this weekend.

But they also reaffirmed a zero tolerance stance towards anti-social behaviour.

Football Federation Australia is facing a fan revolt amid fury over the publication of a confidential list of supporters banned from stadiums around the country.

Anger over a perceived privacy breach flared when Sydney's Daily Telegraph last week published names and photos of 198 banned A-League fans, labelling some as "louts" while lashing out at spectator conduct.

The discontent quickly morphed into a backlash against FFA with supporters condemning its failure to defend fans over what it saw as biased media coverage, and for being out of touch with grassroots supporters of the game.

Fans at some of the league's best-supported clubs have vowed to boycott weekend games in protest until the FFA presents a transparent ban appeals process agreed upon by all parties.

Supporters have long held reservations over FFA's security policy, which provides banned spectators with no avenue for appeal. Several of those on the leaked list feel they have been wrongly banned.
"(FFA chief) David Gallop will tell the board we intend to review the ban process. We expect to be able to finalise it by next board meeting in February," FFA chairman Stephen Lowy told a press conference.

"The publication of the banned list was a travesty," he added, while also adopting a defiant tone on hooligans: "FFA is resolute on the issue of crowd behaviour. Zero tolerance is our policy. That won't change."

Fans on the list have been banned for offences including assaults, ignition of flares, invading the pitch or throwing projectiles.

Gallop has borne the brunt of the criticism, with Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold making clear on Wednesday the game could not survive without fans and the FFA must do more to appease them.

"We don't take the fans' position in the game for granted. We'll get their views on the banning process, and what else concerns them," Gallop said Thursday, while admitting he "got it wrong" in failing to immediately condemn The Telegraph reporting.

But he added: "People will take shots at us. People will be inflammatory. But that shouldn't stop us on the journey we are on."

There was no immediate reaction from fan groups on whether their boycott threats would go ahead.

They demanded on Wednesday a transparent and documented process for banning fans with defined standards of evidence, a fair appeals process and a thorough explanation of the role security company Hatamoto plays in fan management.
Source: AFP