Socceroos defender Miloš Degenek has urged fans to bring flares back to Australian football games, arguing that visiting teams currently face too little hostility because fans are overly policed.
More than 50,000 spectators are expected for Thursday night’s crucial World Cup qualifier between Australia and Japan at Perth Stadium. The match comes just days after riot police intervened to control unruly fans heading to Melbourne City’s A-League grand final victory over rivals Melbourne Victory. This incident occurred two-and-a-half years after Victory’s infamous pitch invasion.
Around 20 flares were ignited among the crowd during the grand final, with one police officer hospitalized after reportedly being kicked.
Football Australia maintains a strict ban on flares and pyrotechnics inside and near stadiums, with offenders facing severe bans.
Having played in many hostile environments internationally, including Serbia’s intense Red Star Belgrade vs Partizan derby, Degenek feels Australian fans aren’t given the chance to reciprocate that intensity.
“It’d be better if, when other countries come here, the crowd was a bit more hostile,” he said in Perth. “At Red Star, flares are thrown on the pitch, and the city shuts down on game day. That’s normal to me. There’s no fear.”
Degenek criticized the heavy police presence at the A-League grand final, calling it “nonsense” and arguing that fans going to matches are not a threat.
“There’s a code: fans don’t attack players,” he said. “I saw the grand final photos — so much police. We’re not going to war, just to a football game.”
Melbourne Victory chairman John Dovaston and managing director Caroline Carnegie condemned the police response as “disproportionate,” saying it created fear rather than excitement for fans and families.
“We need long-term change. While anti-social behavior is unacceptable, the heavy police presence only fuels negative narratives about football fans,” they said.
Degenek believes that excessive policing causes more problems by restricting fan movement, which can escalate tensions.
“If you push fans into tight spaces, someone’s going to get hurt. It’s better to give them freedom to move and get safely to the stadium,” he explained.
He also suggested that less policing would boost attendance.
“In Europe, fewer police mean bigger crowds. For players, seeing flares, hearing chants, feeling the energy motivates us more.”
The Socceroos currently hold second place in their qualifying group with 13 points. A victory against Japan, who top the group with 20 points, would nearly guarantee their spot in the 2026 World Cup.
