Football Australia has urged authorities to reconsider a decision blocking public viewing events for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Federation Square.
The organisation expressed strong dissatisfaction with the move by Melbourne Arts Precinct, which oversees the venue and cited past incidents involving unsafe fan conduct as the basis for the restriction.
“The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world and unites Australia’s multicultural communities, while reinforcing our national identity,” said Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler.
“Live sites create iconic moments for Australian sports fans. Melbourne is one of Australia’s sporting and multicultural capitals, and this decision goes against this tradition,” he added.
Explaining the rationale behind the ban, Melbourne Arts Precinct chief executive Katrina Sedgwick pointed to repeated cases of disorderly behaviour among a minority of supporters during previous tournaments.
“This issue is really with a very small group of fans who, unfortunately, behave in a way that is just antisocial and frankly, dangerous,” she told public broadcaster ABC.
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“The challenge is when you have a crowded square with lots and lots of people and people are smuggling in flares,” she said.
Sedgwick noted that injuries had occurred during earlier screenings, largely due to the use of flares and fireworks.
“I think on the final night of the last Socceroos game we screened, we counted over 100 flares and fireworks that had been let off in the square.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s national team, the Socceroos, will open their World Cup campaign against Turkey in Vancouver on June 13.
They are scheduled to face co-hosts the United States in Seattle six days later before taking on Paraguay in California on June 25.
Former Socceroo Craig Foster also weighed in on the issue, criticising the decision and calling for a reversal.
“All stakeholders should be working to overturn this absurd decision.”