THIS is the shame file Australian football bosses didn’t want you to see, the louts who’ve sent the sport into a ­downward spiral.

The top secret document features 40 pages of photographs of 198 soccer louts banned from the 10 A-League clubs, with nearly half hailing from the Western Sydney Wanderers.

While the FFA claims cricket and rugby league contain just as many bad eggs, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that league has only 19 banned fans and cricket fewer than that.

The football shame file features ­fans who have engaged in conduct ranging from violence, assault or flare throwing to general thuggery in a three-year ­­­period up to October 30. More than a quarter of them have tried repeatedly, and often succeeded, to re-enter grounds even after bans have been imposed.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione believes crowd behaviour from some fans is spreading away from the stadiums, where police are witnessing horrendous assaults by some supporters on rival fans as they walk to the ground.

“The last thing we want to get to in Australia is putting rival fans in cages like the UK model,” Mr Scipione said.

“It should be a privilege and an ­enjoyable thing to attend sport in Australia. The sport must look deep within its culture to admit there is a problem.”

The issue has become so serious that stadiums are now moving to ban the local derbies between the Wanderers and Sydney FC until the FFA can contain the turmoil.

Officials now lock down the stadium 24 hours before the local derby contests so seating areas, toilets and even plumbing can be searched. Flares have been located in toilet pipes, planted by ground staff in collusion with fans.

Police are at their wits’ end with fans, clubs and the FFA. While there have been wide-ranging crisis talks over the issue with soccer authorities, the ­government and police say they are far from solving what has become the worst problem in Australian sport.

The head of the Major Events and Incident Squad, Assistant Commissioner Kyle Stewart, said that while the A-League is meant to represent the so-called beautiful game, fan behaviour of those on the banned list is “ugly, dangerous and extremely selfish”. Mr Stewart said controlling fans was not just a police matter.

“There is a bloody-­mindedness ­within some of the clubs and the FFA that does not accept ­responsibility for the culture. It is their ­responsibility to mend that,” he said.

“The diatribe about us being the fun police comes from those who have an exceedingly huge level of ignorance about the role we play.’’
A violent fan is led away by police during a previous match between the Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers.

FFA boss David Gallop admits there is a problem but says anti-social ­behaviour around games goes beyond football’s jurisdiction.

“It’s a problem from parents, school teachers to police,” he said.

“By and large, behaviour within our venues has improved but many of the problems now exist outside the venues.’’

A quick glance at the list of incidences suggests the FFA is in a state of ­denial over the extent of the problem.

The conduct, described by one law ­enforcement officer as “Moore Park mayhem” when Western Sydney play Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium, now ­include vicious assaults on rival fans by some supporters as they walk to the stadium.

“Behave like a civilised human and not some grubby pack animal and you’ll find yourself buying many, many more season passes,” Mr Stewart said.

One of those “grubby pack animals” is a Wanderers fan who is a kindergarten teacher. He has been banned for ­violence and offensive behaviour.

Mr Scipione said police have been unfairly targeted for being too heavy- handed with fans but that it’s time for the code itself to address the issues.

“I sat with Dave Gallop (when NRL boss) and the people at the Bulldogs when they had a terrible fan problem,” he said.

“We sorted the issues out but it ­started within the club and at the NRL.’’