Most of you are probably looking at the title thinking, what is this bloke on about: A useless soccer match!!!

But, in spite of last months race riots in Sydney and reports of text messages circulating in Melbourne, seeing as the game is in Australia, I ask you where should this match be played.

Sydney has a large amount of Lebanese People, and also has some of the most notorious Neo-Nazi groups, and Melbourne also has a large number of Lebanese born or of Lebanese Descent people.

After the win against Uruguay, the FFA were keen to turn Telstra Stadium in Sydney into Australia's "Home Ground".

Now- playing the match in Sydney, in spite of last months race violence, where it was targeted at "Lebs" or "Skips", could incite violence from non-football followers. Likewise, if played in Melbourne, it may be an avenue for similar groups to voice their beliefs.

So, what should the FFA do? Sydney or Melbourne? Perhaps move it to the less "Multicultural" areas such as Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth (mind you, following the South Africans being called "Kaffirs" or "Kaffir Boeitias" it isn't racism free at all). Or do we swallow our pride and go back to Beirut?

I think as a one off it is best played behind closed doors, at least this will in the short term solve the immediate problem, I see no other solution at this time.

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Ern

It's a bit of a worry. I'd leave it in Sydney but bump up security ten fold and make sure that there is no alchohol in the staduim.

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It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

Play it in Sydney if that's where it would normally be played, giving in to the racists by moving it or changing the game in some way is defeatist. England still has a lot of problems don't get me wrong, but we've also solved a lot of ours by the English FA and the clubs confronting it head on with the police and launching several initiatives with fans groups to expel racists from the clubs.

Thing is, we could be talking about more than just a few slurs from the crowd. Cronulla was a full scale riot, 5000 people and the Lebanese community was the target. Those lebanese people also made a bit of a mess themselves when they went on a counter rampage, smashing up cars.

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It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

Never has been a racism problem in Australian football VF, it's the one sport where players of different ethnicities are known as Aussies and not 'Lebs' or 'Wogs' or 'Cros'. This is different to Wright-Phillips having to endure racial abuse. We are talking about fans being turned on and stuff being thrown at the Lebanese players.

I think the talk of banning national anthems, well that should come into play for this fixture.

I think VF is right. Moving it somewhere else is giving in. It also does nothing to solve the root problem, which is the presence of racist people at a sports match.Tight policing is the answer. No-one likes being smacked about with a baton wielded by a barn door of a man. If the police are fully equipped with the necessary riot gear, and steps are taken to keep out the undesirables, the situation can be kept under control. I'm sure Australia's FA could ask the English authorities for advice if necessary, as they have been very successful in combatting football violence in England.

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Just what is going off out there?

just forfeit it

Forefit it? This is the Asian Cup, We're talking huge for Australian football if we win the thing first time round (which we can). It's really not an option as the FFA needs the money from the competition as well as the matches for exposure both overseas and in Australia.
That was the major thing about moving to Asia, now we actauly have real compition and matches that mean somthing, not a whole bunch of meaningless freindlies, done results against teams we beat 30-0 and then eventualy a game against the 5th ranked SA team. Now we have a full fixture.

On top of that there is now the potential of attracking more sponsership and investment from both home and Asia.

What I'm really looking forward to is the Asian version of the champions league.

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It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

yep i agree sydney more security and no alchahol