Rory Carroll and his daughters may be the latest fans to fall victim to draconian police measures at football matches in Australia, but this instance has a different feel. The Sydney FC fan’s decision to confront one of the sport’s most deep-rooted issues – the way it is policed – has seen his trauma compounded by him being forced to defend his character in public.

Carroll’s attempts to ensure a disabled toilet would be in good working order for his daughter, who has special needs, ended in his eviction from the ground after a posse of police officers converged upon him. His charge? Attempting to enter an area of the ground which his ticket did not permit him to enter.

With an energy uniquely reserved for football fans, within 12 hours of the completion of Sunday night’s A-League semi-final against Melbourne Victory, Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Walton was on air to discuss it with 2GB’s Ray Hadley.

Hadley begun his segment by suggesting Carroll’s statement “doesn’t bear much resemblance to the truth”.

“Apparently factually incorrect?” Hadley asked the commissioner. “It is,” he responded.

A narrative had been set and was followed throughout the day. Later, Walton referred to security documents that suggested Carroll had been trying to access a restricted area of the stadium to access a greater selection of beers. It is a claim Carroll denies, instead insisting he was making sure the bathroom – which he says he has routinely used throughout the season – was in a clean state for his daughter, who has special needs, to use, as she is uncomfortable with changes to routine. He also noted that he drove home from the venue.

Then came Hadley’s colleague at 2GB, Ben Fordham, with the next wave, revealing that Carroll had been evicted and banned from ANZ Stadium for 12 months in 2017. “He seems to have a problem with authority at the football,” Fordham said.

If that were the case, he certainly would not be the first. When it comes to policing football fans, security contractors and police have at times appeared more interested in intimidation than de-escalation. One look at this Twitter thread shows dozens of examples of heavy-handed policing at A-League games.

In comparison to the other major Australian sporting codes – cricket, AFL and rugby league and rugby union – the security measures and resources are incomparable; the feeling is that this police and security presence is always much more visible at the football. Demands of compliance by police have helped eradicate much of the A-League’s vibrant active support.

This is not to say A-League fans never do anything wrong, but it is not at a disproportionate rate to match-goers of any other sporting code in the country. Nonetheless, disorderly cricket or rugby league fans are not labelled “suburban terrorists”, as football fans were by the Herald Sun in 2015, when the league and policed clamped down on the lighting of flares. Nor have we seen such strong language used to condemn a range of violent assaults at AFL games this year.

Football Federation Australia and the police talk about a “family-friendly”, “inclusive” atmosphere, but harsh security measures employed at A-League games help to create abrasive situations like the one that occurred in Kogarah.

There were so many opportunities for this incident to be defused. Carroll could have been escorted to the toilets and back out of the restricted area. When the situation was escalated to the police, they could have listened to him to help have the situation resolved. Instead, Carroll was confronted by a group of police officers, seemingly more interested in ejecting him than presenting a solution.

Given general media hostility towards football fans, the case to discredit Carroll’s version of events began in earnest, with references made to evidence gathered by the security company involved. It seems odd that the police would take a security firm’s report as gospel, while neglecting to even speak to Carroll and hear his concerns before dismissing his account as factually incorrect.

Through this lens, one can see how Carroll’s 12-month stadium ban is largely irrelevant to Sunday’s incident. A-League fans are routinely evicted and banned for the most minor of civil disturbances. Furthermore, not only has he alluded to it being unjust on his Twitter account, but there is a well-documented history of A-League fans being issued bans which are not subject to appeal.

This whole scenario does not come as a surprise to anyone. Throughout the history of the sport in Australia, and particularly in recent times, police have happily bandied about the term “hooligan” to characterise unruly fans. Football fans continue to be othered and treated with contempt in Australia.

Will that change? Recent events suggest it won’t any time soon.