Australians slam ban on World Cup screenings at Federation Square

Matches from the World Cup 2026 will not be screened after poor fan behaviour at previous public watch parties in 2023.Football players, fans and officials in Australia have criticised the ban on World Cup match screenings at Melbourne’s Federation Square due to poor fan behaviour during Australia’s games in past tournaments.The venue’s management said on Wednesday that the public square will not show any World Cup matches ⁠on its big screen ⁠for the first time in at least 20 years.Hundreds of thousands of fans ⁠have gathered in the heart of Melbourne’s central business district to watch Australia matches at the square since the 2006 World Cup in Germany.Video of fans celebrating wildly went viral during ⁠the 2022 tournament in Qatar when Australia advanced to the round of 16.A number of incidents soured the celebrations, though, with fans being injured by flares and projectiles.Fans stormed barricades during the 2023 Women’s World Cup semifinal between Australia and England, prompting management to cancel plans to screen the ‌Matildas’ subsequent third-place playoff 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,” Melbourne Arts Precinct Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick said in a statement.“This is due to the behaviour of a small number of people at previous screenings which was simply unacceptable and damaging to Fed Square.”Fans watched several matches at the fan zone during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 [File: Hannah Mckay/Reuters]The decision triggered a furious response from Australian football players, officials and a fan group, who said the majority of well-behaved supporters ⁠were being made to pay by a tiny minority.