Melbourne's Federation Square stopped showing World Cup matches following incidents of rowdy behavior, including a 16‑year‑old identified as a person of interest, prompting a public outcry and intervention by Premier Jacinta Allan who promised increased police presence and zero tolerance for troublemakers.
Federation Square has become a victim of its own success as a beloved venue to watch live sport. In 2006, when the Socceroos made the World Cup for the first time in 32 years, I remember heading to Fed Square with my housemates to watch the games on the big screen.
Back then, there were no fences, barriers or queues. You could just turn up and the atmosphere was joyful and good willed, cheering on Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell. As the national anthem played, before the match even began, flares turned the sky red and caused groups to scatter for their safety. The crowd was mainly big groups of men, and I saw hardly any other women.
I was saddened, but not completely surprised, to learn thatas the game began, with police identifying a 16-year-old boy as a person of interest. The Melbourne Arts Precinct, which manages Federation Square, announced in May that it would not screen World Cup matches due to previous poor behaviour from fans.
The decision caused such an outcry that Premier Jacinta Allan quickly intervened and“There’s always the risk of bad behaviour from a few dickheads at every public gathering, but police and security will be on-site and there’ll be zero tolerance for it,” Allan said at the time. Sure, the majority of the crowd at Fed Square on the weekend was well-behaved. But those few dickheads spoiled it for me and countless others.
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