Football Australia has urged the Victorian government to overturn a ban on screening World Cup matches at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Supporters have gathered at the venue to watch Australia’s tournament matches since 2006, turning the square into one of the country’s most iconic fan zones.
However, the Melbourne Arts Precinct, which manages Federation Square, said the decision followed repeated incidents of disorder at previous events. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, celebrations after Australia reached the last 16 went viral online, but there were also reports of injuries caused by flares and thrown objects.
Crowd trouble also occurred during the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England, when fans breached barricades. The incident led to the cancellation of the Matildas’ third-place play-off screening at the venue.
“After careful consideration, we’ve made the decision not to show the World Cup on Fed Square’s big screen this year,” Melbourne Arts Precinct chief executive Katrina Sedgwick said on Wednesday.
“This is due to the behaviour of a small number of people at previous screenings, which was simply unacceptable and damaging to Fed Square.”
Football Australia described the move as “disappointing” and called on fans to support efforts to have the ban reversed. The governing body said allowing screenings would benefit supporters, local businesses and the wider Victorian community.
Chief executive Martin Kugeler said Melbourne had long been recognised as one of Australia’s sporting and multicultural capitals.
“Federation Square has produced some of the most memorable moments in Australian sporting history, from the Socceroos’ breakthrough 2006 World Cup campaign to the atmosphere during the 2023 Women’s World Cup,” he said.
Football Supporters Association Australia chair Patrick Clancy added: “The images from Fed Square during the 2022 World Cup were seen around the world. We want to experience that again.”
Australia will face Turkey, Paraguay and co-hosts the United States during this summer’s World Cup, which runs from 11 June to 19 July.
