Adelaide United won the battle for the A-League trophy on Saturday night, but the war wages on via social media, after the match was marred by wild behaviour in the crowd.
United raised the trophy and were showered in ticker tape after defeating the Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 in the A-League grand final. Unfortunately, today's headlines aren't focusing on a great game, a heroic individual performance or an amazing highlight. The post-match focus has been centered around widespread damage allegedly caused by visiting Wanderers fans.
The Wanderers fans showed up in enormous numbers, with an estimated 12,000 fans in red and black storming Adelaide Oval. A video posted on the team's unofficial fan page gives us an idea of just how large the West Sydney army was.
The Wanderers fans, who made up a significant proportion of the 50,000-strong crowd, were accused of the following:
- Destroying the South Australia state sign on the NSW-SA border while en route to Adelaide
- Letting off flares in the stadium, before the game had even started
- Destroying a section of seating at the Adelaide Oval
Instead of enjoying a grand final victory and celebrating the first trophy in the cabinet for their team, United fans have focused on venting their anger at West Sydney fans via social media.
The Wanderers’ Facebook page has become ground zero for the fan fury, as angry Adelaide fans leave comment after comment on their opponent’s social media presence. The damaged seating is of particular focus for the fans, with the picture alone attracting 325 comments.
It will be interesting to see what action David Gallop and the A-League administration will take against the Wanderers just for the flares, but what happens with the damage to the stands is anyone’s guess at this point.
While the comments continue to tick over, one thing is for sure – the new-found Wanderers-United rivalry is definitely going to make A-League more interesting.
