Coopers Stadium management target Melbourne Victory supporters with comments that have since been deleted

Fans of Melbourne Victory were facing being banned by Coopers Stadium management from the venue in March but the comments were later deleted.

Victory fans were nearly banned from Adelaide. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

A plan to ban “high-risk” Melbourne Victory fans from Coopers Stadium in Adelaide for the upcoming A-League season was reversed on Thursday after an announcement from stadium management blindsided the clubs and league and prompted talk of legal action.

Adrian Kirchner, the chief executive officer of Adelaide Venue Management, which runs Coopers Stadium, had issued a statement saying Victory supporters would be prohibited from the ground “in the interest of public safety until further notice”.

Kirchner also said that Australian Professional Leagues, which runs the A-League, had “ignored” management’s concerns about the “high-risk fixture” after past incidents and there was “no choice” but to put the ban in place.

The statement shocked Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory and the APL, which was understood to be considering legal action against Kirchner and AVM.

Victory fans stormed the pitch at AAMI Park last December. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

The APL had prepared a statement hut then chose not to go public with it after Coopers Stadium issued its own statement retracting Kirchner’s comments in relation to the March 9, 2024 clash between the teams.

“Please note, the recent post regarding the Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory March 2024 match has been removed,” the statement said.

“In the spirit of goodwill, we will continue to work collaboratively with all appropriate parties to resolve the matter and achieve a satisfactory outcome for all.”

Last season, two matches between Adelaide and Victory were played at Coopers Stadium.

Victory supporters were banned from attending the second of the two games, on January 14, due to sanctions imposed on the club for its role in the pitch invasion at the Melbourne derby in December at AAMI Park.

However, Victory fans did attend the November 11 meeting between the teams at Coopers Stadium, where, according to the deleted statement, it was “plagued with the usual violent and riotous behaviour that has become synonymous with this fixture”.

Originally published as Coopers Stadium management target Melbourne Victory supporters with comments that have since been deleted