Premier red cards Fed Square decision on World Cup screenings

Soccer fans will be able to watch this year’s World Cup at Federation Square after the state government overturned the venue’s decision to ban screenings of the tournament’s matches due to poor behaviour from viewers in past years.

“Yesterday [Wednesday] Melbourne Arts Precinct decided that Fed Square won’t show Socceroos matches on the big screen,” Premier Jacinta Allan said in a statement. “I disagree with that – and I am overturning it.

“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.”

The decision to reinstate the traditional screenings at Federation Square has been praised by the soccer community, many of whom criticised the ban and directly called on the government to intervene.

Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler said he was delighted with the decision, calling it an excellent outcome for fans, businesses and Victorians.

“We welcome the Victorian government’s swift intervention in overturning the initial decision not to host a live site at Federation Square … The announcement means fans in Victoria will once again be able to come together at one of the city’s most iconic locations to support the Socceroos,” Kugeler said in a statement.

Responding to the premier’s intervention, Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation chief executive and director Katrina Sedgwick said she welcomed the government’s decision to support Federation Square to “provide a safe and welcoming live site” for the World Cup.

“We’ll work closely with the Victorian government, City of Melbourne and Victoria Police to create a safe and secure environment, and we look forward to seeing the Socceroos back on the world stage, and on the big screen next month,” Sedgwick said in a statement.

Sedgwick said on 3AW radio on Wednesday the decision to not show matches was made because of inappropriate fan behaviour at previous viewing sessions, including one match when 120 flares or fireworks were set off. She said the precinct had not requested additional funding from the state government to manage the event.

Matildas star Sam Kerr was quick to slam the short-lived ban, sharing an Instagram post announcing the news captioned with: “Booooooooooo”.

Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster, who initially called the ban ridiculous, welcomed the change as “the right decision”.

“At the same time, I will stress that I don’t support any behaviour from anyone, football fan or otherwise, that puts the safety of anyone at risk,” Foster said on X.

Patrick Clancy, the chair of Football Supporters Association Australia, said Allan’s decision to overturn the ban a “fantastic win for common sense”.

“We welcome the Victorian government’s decision. All football fans in Melbourne and Victoria very much look forward to … watching the Socceroos in action,” Clancy said.

“This clearly demonstrated how important Federation Square live sites are to Melbourne football supporters … It is an iconic place to watch the World Cup, whether it’s men’s or women’s.”

The Socceroos qualified for this year’s World Cup with a win over Saudi Arabia in June, marking their sixth successive appearance at the tournament.

The World Cup is scheduled to kick off on June 11, with matches played across Canada, the United States and Mexico. The Socceroos play their first group match against Turkey on June 14 in Vancouver.

Melbourne Arts Precinct has faced criticism in the past for cancelling events at Federation Square.

In November, a free performance by Australian rock band Amyl and the Sniffers was cancelled minutes before its scheduled start time due to safety concerns.

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