The Christmas Derby produced disappointing results both on and off the field. The team themselves didn't show up in the first half, whilst in the stands, the display that had been organised by the Melbourne City Terrace was ruined by the self-centred recklessness of a handful of individuals who decided to bring flares into the stadium and let them off.
Now, I‘m not against a smoke display when done correctly, an avenue which is made available to teams in the A-League via ’Safe Smoke.’
This was the first time that City had ventured down the path of using safe smoke and when paired with the tifo that was created it looked fantastic. However, the unsanctioned orange flare smoke that came from the front four rows of the terrace was nothing short of selfish and has the potential to kill all of the hard work that the terrace leadership has put in this season.
We have seen some fantastic steps forward for the terrace and its leadership with new merchandise, multiple displays and an improving relationship with the club. This now looks to be dead in the water. The use of flares does not endear the terrace to the rest of the fan base and only brings negative consequences to the terrace as a whole.
Why do people still use flares if it hurts the terrace that they claim to love? The people who bring flares to games seem only to do so in order to increase their “ultra” reputation and couldn’t care less about the terrace and the enjoyment of other fans. They do not bring flares to “enhance the atmosphere” as part of a planned display. They are brought for selfish reasons and it needs to stop; no-one respects you more for it and getting a photo on @ultras.oz is not worth killing a terrace over.
To those who hate flares and may judge the whole active bay by it, please don't be turned off of supporting with the rest of active as usual. It’s a very small minority that want to go to games and let off flares and ruin the fun for everyone else. The active bay will continue long after they're banned.
Let’s look forward to the first game in 2020 against Western United where those who choose to let off flares hopefully won’t be in attendance and the active can get back to doing what it does best - making noise and creating a fantastic atmosphere
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