INSTEAD of heeding to their club’s plea to sound out the troublemakers, the Wanderers’ active support group, the Red and Black Bloc, has released a statement saying it “supports the notion of personal choice” when it comes to lighting flares.

After Football Federation Australia fined the Western Sydney Wanderers $50,000 and imposed a suspended three point deduction for bringing the game into disrepute by setting off flares and detonators, it should have been the perfect opportunity for the leadership of the RBB to urge its members not to engage in any activity that will further jeopardise their club’s position.

But their response, which included blaming the media for exacerbating the events at Etihad Stadium last weekend, has been met with bemusement.

“The incident at Melbourne over the weekend led to the general consensus on the night that this issue has been exacerbated in the media, and that if it was not flare use, the Wanderers fan base would have been targeted over other issues,” the statement read.

“The RBB does not encourage anyone to participate in any prohibited activity, and those who have, have done so at their own risk. The consequences are known to all. The RBB supports the notion of personal choice as per our representation at the senate hearing late last year.”

One more serious incident involving Wanderers fans over the next 12 months will result in the immediate loss of three points for the team, yet the RBB have pointed a finger at the fans of other clubs for their use of flares instead of taking responsibility for the illegal use of them by some of their own.

“It was agreed that flare use has been prevalent in Australia before the Wanderers came along and is not an issue that is unique to us. Any punishments applied, should be applied across the board. Consistency is key.”

The RBB go wild at a Wanderers game. Picture: Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia

FFA will announce details of its ‘flare management’ plan next week, but this incident couldn’t have come at a worse time with the game’s governing body soon to finalise its revised banning and appeals process following constructive meetings with the RBB and fan groups just months ago.