Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro says people who ignite flares at games are not part of the football club.
The Victory accepted a $50,000 fine and a suspended three-points penalty this morning, due to the flares which were lit inside and outside AAMI Park during the Melbourne Derby last Saturday, as well as bottles hurled onto the field after a poor refereeing decision.
Di Pietro announced he was fed up with the antisocial behaviour displayed at games and delivered a message this morning for all people part of Melbourne Victory to stand up against the thugs.
“We’ve reached a line in the sand moment, it’s a moment where we ask the true Melbourne Victory fans to stand with us to eradicate antisocial behaviour,” Mr Di Pietro said.
“The people involving themselves in antisocial behaviour are not fans of our club or our game, the true fans of our club want this to come to an end.
“This club has worked incredibly hard to deliver the success we have to our members and our fans, we now need every single Melbourne Victory person to unite.
“Together we must ensure that antisocial behaviour from a marginal element does not compromise everything we’re trying to achieve.
“Our message today is clear and simple, no more flares, no more antisocial behaviour. Enough is enough.”
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A number of arguments exploded on social media in light of the topic. Many have made arguments condoning flares and detonators, accusing the general Australian sporting public of not accepting other cultures.
The influence comes from the scenes football fans make in South Eastern European countries where the scenes are supposedly acceptable, Di Pietro however rubbished those claim.
“Melbourne Victory is built on success, that’s what we crave for, part of that is, there is a sense of belonging to this club, and we embrace everyone who wants to join this club, from all backgrounds,” he said.
“We will not compromise on safety, no flares. That’s it, not negotiable.
“We’re not interested in comparisons (to European Leagues), we built an institution in the Australian sporting landscape.”
With a number of members in Victory’s active area ‘North Terrace’ being teenagers, Di Pietro believes education is key for young people as well as parents and guardians taking responsibility for what their children are bringing to games.
The Victory chairman also acknowledged there were a number of “immature’ adults also being involved in the behaviour.
“It’s a whole club approach, there’s young people and some very immature older people,” he said.
“Education is just one of the things, most importantly we have to unite together to rid this marginal element.
“When you’re mentioning young people, I just ask the parents that know are coming to our games to check what they’re up to.
“Because some of them when they get caught, the bravado goes away and they realise what they’ve done has immeasurable danger.”
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