Tougher security likely for A-League derby

15 Aug 2012, 3:47 pm   -   Source: AAP

Soccer fans at the first match between Sydney FC and Western Sydney may encounter higher security after a pre-season brawl.

Security could be ramped up for the A-League's first Sydney derby of the season following a brawl between spectators at a pre-season match.

A man was knocked out and a six-year-old boy hit in the head by a rock during the fight at Campbelltown stadium on Tuesday night during a warm-up game between A-league club Sydney FC and the Macarthur Rams, a NSW league side.

Witnesses say that a small group of supporters of the new A-league team, Western Sydney Wanderers, confronted Sydney FC fans after a flare thrown by a Wanderers fan was hurled back at them.

The Wanderers chief executive Lyall Gorman said Football Federation Australia (FFA) would determine the level of security for the October 20 match in Parramatta.

"Clearly this is a game that will attract attention, and we'll make sure the appropriate mechanisms are in place," Mr Gorman told reporters on Wednesday in Sydney.

"We won't have (violence) in our venue. Our venue has to be one where mums and dads and kids can come and feel safe."

Sydney FC chief executive Tony Pignata told the media conference the two Sydney teams wanted a rivalry but a friendly one.

"And I'm very confident that there won't be any more incidents arising," Mr Pignata said.

Mr Gorman said he had viewed a photo of seven of the suspected brawlers and believed they were not members or fans of either club.

"These are thugs in a sporting environment. They're there to cause grief and they achieved that," he said.

"Our job is to obliterate them from the game, and we will."

When challenged on whether it was possible to be certain that the offenders were not fans, Mr Gorman said people who engaged in such behaviour could not be supporters of either team.

"I'm telling you, they're not fans of the game when they walk into our environment and behave like that," he said.

The injured man was taken to Campbelltown hospital after being kicked in the head.

The boy, who was waiting to go onto the field at halftime to have a kick, suffered bruising.

The FFA established and funded the Wanderers club to replace Gold Coast United, which had its A-League licence revoked earlier this year.

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