This discussion has been going on in the media for days now, without providing answers. That chronic attention seeker, Geoff Kennett, almost derailed it completly with his racist observations. There's been so much said that the initial incident which sparked the controversy is becoming overlooked. Let's try to remember that it began with an over-excited, possibly aggressive, supporter choosing to loudly call out a follicly challenged umpire as a "bald headed flog", a charge that may, or may not, have been well deserved. The bloke did supposedly offer some proof for his assertion, claiming that "you can't hand ball one-handed", but that wasn't enough to stop him from being unceremoniously thrown out of the ground.
This incident seems to have coincided with the beginnings of an obvious "crack down", mainly in Melbourne, by private security staff (employed by a company called AIG) on alleged miscreant behaviours by footy fans, such as standing up and yelling a bit too loudly.
Questions we should be getting answers to are:
Is Gillon McLachlan correct in his assertion that fans going to the footy are not feeling safe anymore? Where's the evidence that fan behaviour has deteriorated so far?
Who actually made the decision and instructed the AIG security staff to be more interventionist, officious and overbearing?
Who actually employs and takes responsibility for AIG security staff? What levels of training are they provided with?
What guidelines are these AIG security staff working to, in recognising "unacceptable behaviour"?
Did these instructions/ guidelines come direct from the AFL (as owners of at least one of the major stadiums in Melbourne) or was it a unilateral, independent decision made by stadium management?
And, if it was an independent decision reached by the various stadium managements, who communicated the decision, that enabled seemingly similar, coordinated, actions by security staff in every other stadium, across the country?
The truth is out there.
