WESTERN Sydney Wanderers’ media ban is the kind of approach that is letting the sport and the A-League down, claims Fox Sports football expert Simon Hill.

The Wanderers’ decision to ban goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic from speaking to the press after his controversial role in last weekend’s Sydney Derby was seen as a major missed opportunity for football to have a big story on the back pages in the next day’s paper.

Cricket Australia scheduled a Big Bash League Sydney Derby – between the Sixers and Thunder – on the same night at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the same complex as where the A-League showpiece took place at Sydney Football Stadium.

Nearly 80,000 fans attended both matches, with Sydney FC v Wanderers attracting slightly more fans, but it was the BBL that had more mainstream media traction the next day.

“If we’re being brutally honest, it’s no coincidence the cricket was scheduled on the same night at the same complex,” Simon Hill said on the Fox Football Podcast. “That’s their right as a competitor – they want to maximise their returns.

Another big week of football is wrapped up by Fox Sports’ Adam Peacock, Simon Hill and Daniel Garb.

“We have to be a little bit smarter in how we play the media game. They design that to try and keep the Derby off the back pages on Sunday and they succeeded. Both the local papers in Sydney led with the cricket the next day.

“Now, that’s maybe because our game was goalless and didn’t have the usual drama we see in derbies, but the big story on Saturday night was Vedran Janjetovic – the abuse he got from the Cove, the snakes on the top of the goal, we’ve seen all the pictures.

Vedran Janjetovic was targetted by Sydney FC fans, who pelted rubber snakes. Source: AAP

“And yet the Wanderers in their wisdom decided to impose a media ban on Janjetovic. Pre-game I can understand, you want the guy focussed on the game. Post-game? It’s not as if they lost the game 4-0 and they guy had a shocker! He had a damn good game and kept a clean sheet and yet he was refused access [to the media].

“Vedran I know was happy to talk. But he was refused by the club access to the media. That’s not only stupid, it’s self-defeating. I don’t know if Vedran had come out and spoken we would have gotten the back page, but I know we’d have had a better chance.

“This is at a time where football is trying to negotiate a free to air TV deal for the next few years – we have to get with the program here. The media wants stories. And if we’re not going to give them those stories, this is not Europe where we’ll be on the back pages anyway – they’ll just go to another sport. And that’s what they did.”

Commentator Hill also stated that the Sydney Derby highlighted how A-League expansion needs to take place in big population centres – ensuring there are more marquee fixtures in the calendar.

“This might be controversial but I’m actually coming around to David Gallop’s way of thinking about this fish where the fish are with regards to expansion,” he added.

“Not because I want to rule out regional Australia, far from it, but when you look at the buzz and the vibe Derby matches give us – the hype in the media – if we did have another Sydney or Melbourne Derby or a Brisbane Derby even, these are marquee fixtures

“This is what we need unfortunately. It’s far easier in a commercial sense to sell a Sydney Derby than, for example, Central Coast v Wellington or Perth v Newcastle.

“Commercial realities dictate.”