Football Australia wants World Cup venue ban lifted

Football Australia wants World Cup venue ban liftedImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Melbourne's Fed Square will not show World Cup games for the first time in more than 20 yearsPublished2 minutes agoFootball Australia has urged the Victorian government to reverse a ban on World Cup matches being shown on big screens at Melbourne's Federation Square.Australia supporters have gathered there to watch tournament matches since 2006.However, the Melbourne Arts Precinct, which manages the venue, said behaviour in previous years had been "unacceptable and damaging".Video of fans celebrating went viral during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as Australia advanced to the last 16, but there were incidents involving people being injured by flares and projectiles.Supporters also stormed barricades during the 2023 Women's World Cup semi-final between Australia and England, leading to the screening of the Matildas' third-place play-off being cancelled at the square."After careful consideration, we've made the decision not to show the World Cup on Fed Square's Big Screen this year," said Melbourne Arts Precinct director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick 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."Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Melbourne's Federation SquareBut Football Australia has urged people to support calls for the Melbourne Arts Precinct and the state's government to change the "disappointing" decision "in the best interests of football fans, local businesses and all Victorians".Martin Kugeler, chief executive of the governing body, said: "Melbourne is one of Australia's sporting and multicultural capitals, and this decision goes against this tradition."Federation Square has created some of the most memorable moments in Australian sporting history, dating back to...