Originally Posted by
sammydog
Here is my take on it the whole situation.
The Wilson article and subsequent Jones diatribe may not be a bad thing in that they have put this issue in the spotlight so it at least gets addressed. Unfortunately the way it is being addressed by the FFA and Fans is really playing into the hands of people like Wilson.
The FFA have shown themselves to be pretty weak this week. They have shown nothing in the way of leadership and their appeals process looks to be nothing more than a tick a box affair to say they have one, with no real interest in having a fair process.
While I completely agree with the fans in that there needs to be greater transparency in the banning through an appeals process, I also think some of the fans groups are responsible for this escalating to the point it has. By all accounts, things like Flare ignition make up a major part of the ban list. I'm yet to hear, or see, any group self police and remove or even publicly criticise the lighting of flares. If groups themselves aren't going to curtail their use, then yes the governing body is going to come down like a tonne of bricks.
I'll use the RBB as an example. When they travel, flares travel. We know the media loves a good story on them. Everyone knows they are illegal, but when they come to newcastle, they keep getting ripped. FFS, last season they had something making small explosive sounds (I've heard they were railway detonators but I'm not convinced). If you are going to pull stuff like this, you are going to attract increased security and policing.
Same with people in the crowd acting like dicks, throwing shit or wanting to punch on.
There are tossers in the crowds, yes they are very much the minority, but until I see some of the bigger groups making obvious moves to remove the or ostracise them, then they are also complicit in whats gone on. They are a part of what has created the crap that is going on now.
With the 198 on the list, it would be naive to think that the majority of them are squeaky clean. Thats not to take away from the fact that we need an appeals process, a fair appeals process, to make sure the process is transparent. But, to the outsider it really does look like fans are condoning the actions of all 198.
I won't be boycotting anything, I don't agree with the FFA's stance in this issue, but I don't see the groups who appear to be leading this in being squeaky clean and they as much as the FFA need to have a change in culture.