Tony Jones urges soccer officials to ‘get off their hands’ after ‘hooligan’ behaviour

Tony Jones is calling on soccer officials to “get off their hands and take decisive action” after mayhem at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

The fill-in 3AW Mornings host and 9News sports presenter says the violent incident isn’t being taken seriously enough by sporting authorities and it’s doing immense damage to the sport.

“If decisive action means life bans, well that’s a no-brainer,” he said. “If decisive action means having matches played in empty stadiums then so be it”.

Press PLAY below to hear TJ’s message to soccer officials

“Those families who do go along and do the right thing, they don’t want to be sitting there in fear of their safety. So if short term pain is long term gain then, A-League, do it.”

Jones says the incident has done immense damage to soccer in Australia.

“In terms of the sheer optics, the game is bankrupt this morning and this comes at a time when soccer in this country should be kicking goal after goal on the back of what the Socceroos managed to achieve in Doha,” he said.

“This is a time when soccer registration should be going through the roof, but if I was a parent of a five-year-old … and you’re weighing up the opportunity to actually allow that child to participate in some kind of sport … based on what we saw over the weekend soccer would be rock bottom of that list.

“I want to defend the A-League … but at the moment it is indefensible.”

Image: Darrian Traynor / Getty

Tony Jones urges soccer officials to ‘get off their hands’ after ‘hooligan’ behaviour