Melbourne derby pitch invasion: A-Leagues say hooligans aren’t real football fans
Wild scenes at the Melbourne Derby are evidence people with ‘criminal intent’ are hiding among real football fans, the body that runs the A-League says. LATEST REACTION
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The A-Leagues say fans responsible for the mayhem at Saturday night’s wild Melbourne derby have no place in Australian football.
The leagues – which run the A-League men’s and A-League women’s competitions – issued a blistering statement on Sunday afternoon in response to the frightening scenes in which fans invaded the pitch and left a player and referee injured.
“Football is the most inclusive sport. It is for families and for law-abiding citizens who want to passionately support their team,” the statement said.
“The events that unfolded at the Melbourne Derby last night demonstrated that a small minority of people with criminal intent hide within our game.
“They neither understand nor love our game. What they do understand is how to use our game as a platform for their anti-social and illegal objectives.
“This is a watershed moment for our game that demands a zero tolerance for the incidents that we witnessed last night and the kind of people that perpetrated them.
“Our clubs will work deliberately and exhaustively, hand-in hand with law enforcement agencies, and with Football Australia – as the game’s regulator – to ensure that our game can never again be used as camouflage for criminals.”
Earlier, Football Australia CEO James Johnson refused to refer to the hooligans as fans.
“I’m horrified, I’m irritated, I’m angry with the scenes we witnessed at AAMI Park last night.
“We had a case of some individuals – I will not call refer to them as fans of football – I will refer to them as individuals who have confronted and attacked a player and a match official.
“We’ve had individuals who have willfully destructed LED, we’ve had individuals who have invaded the pitch.
“We’ve had flares that have been thrown and consequently a match of football has been abandoned due to the integrity of the match.
“I want to talk a little bit about the role of Football Australia because we are in a new governance model and I think it is important to understand what the role of Football Australia is.
“Football Australia no longer operates the A-League men’s or women’s but it does regulate and govern the league
“And it’s important to understand our role in this new governance model.
“We don’t have a commercial interest in the outcome of issues such as the one we’re facing.
“We’re an independent regulator and we can look at this issue, we can look at the APL and the respective clubs in an independent way.
“As the regulator of the A-Leagues, we have been in touch overnight with the Victoria Police, we have been in touch with the respective governments both at the federal and also state level.
“We have been in touch with the APL (Australian Professional Leagues) and I’ve personally spoken with both Tommy (Melbourne City goalkeeper Tommy Glover) and Alex (referee Alex King) as well who were right in the centre of the pitch invasion, who are healthy but are shaken by the events of last night.
“What we can tell you right now is that an investigation has been opened and we’re looking at three separate buckets of investigation.
“First is what happens with the game last night - what happens with the result. Does it get abandoned and not played again, does it get abandoned and not played again, does it get replayed? This is the investigation that will determine what the outcome of last night’s game will now be because it was abandoned before the final whistle.
“That’s the first focus of the investigation.
“The second will be a show cause process that will be opened with Melbourne Victory and they will be receiving a show cause letter as soon as possible.
When you thought club statements were weak pic.twitter.com/sKnzxDrGrf
— Subway ALM (@TheRealALM) December 18, 2022
“That will not close the door on Melbourne City but at this point in time we will not be sending a show cause letter to Melbourne City because we haven’t yet come across evidence that would support doing so.
“And the third focus of the investigation will be to get the individuals who we are seeking to name, we’re seeking to identify and we’re seeking to sanction those individuals.
“What I can say in regard to all three focuses of this investigation is just as Football South Australia showed with the way we dealt with the Australia Cup final, we will be moving swiftly and we will be taking the strongest sanctions that are available to Football Australia.
“I’d like to say in closing that we are a sport experiencing a massive groundswell. We’ve seen how big our sport is becoming just recently with the World Cup campaign of the Socceroos.
“We know that our sport will continue to grow and be at its strongest point leading into the Women’s World Cup in July next year.
“This pitch invasion - and I want to be clear about this - has nothing to do with the groundswell and the rising of our game.
“The parent that takes their child to grassroots football in Brisbane or the young boy who plays in our elite pathways in Perth, or the 40-year-old who plays amateur football in Sydney or the fans who peacefully protested in the Central Coast Mariners, the Wellington game, the Newcastle game, all of the other two million people across our sport who love and support our game, this is not about them, it has nothing to do with them.
“It has nothing to do with the two million people who love and support our game week in, week out.
“This is an element that goes beyond football.
“This is an element that infiltrates our game and really try and ruin it for the people who love our sport.
“And it’s those people who we will be targetting in our investigation and they will be weeded out of the sport.”
THE MOMENT ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE
Victoria Police are yet to make any arrests after a violent pitch invasion forced the A-League derby between Victory and City to be abandoned after just 20 minutes.
Video footage of the incident has gone viral across social media platforms with many calling it Australian football’s darkest day.
Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover sustained a suspected concussion and nasty cut to his face after being assaulted by a Victory fan with a metal bucket while a referee and cameraman were also injured.
Fans stormed the pitch after Glover threw a flare back towards the Victory fans.
Video footage from the side of the stadium shows the disturbing number people that took to the pitch and the scale of the job Victoria Police is up against.
Incredible scenes as Melbourne Victory fans storm the pitch at the City - Victory Derby after city keeper throws a flare at the crowd. Never seen anything like this in Australian football before... pic.twitter.com/IROUvlINcN
— Tom Canetti (@tomcanetti) December 17, 2022
“Victoria Police is disappointed with the behaviour of some supporters at Saturday nights A-League men’s game between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory in Melbourne,” Police said in a statement.
“The match was abandoned after approximately 150-200 Melbourne Victory supporters entered the field of play. A Melbourne City player and official were injured during the incursion and a cameraman was injured by a flare.
“These incidents are being investigated by police. Supporters left the field after a short period of time and the crowd left the stadium. There were no other incidents reported to police and at this stage no arrests have been made.”
Football Australia meanwhile has vowed to come down hard on anyone associated with the shocking violence which “has no place in Australian football”.
Lifetime bans are likely for some Victory supporters.
“It was disgusting behaviour and disgraceful scenes,” an angry and disappointed Football Australia boss James Johnson told News Corp Australia.
“A full investigation will take place and those responsible will face the harshest of punishments.”
Melbourne Victory has condemned fans of the club that invaded the pitch in Saturday night’s Melbourne derby and assaulted Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover, referee Alex King and a cameraman.
In a statement posted a few hours after the abandonment of the match for safety reasons, the Victory said it was “devastated” and apologised to Glover, King and the cameraman.
“The club unequivocally condemns the actions of fans at Saturday night’s match against Melbourne City at AAMI Park,” the Victory statement said.
“The actions that occurred, that saw spectators enter the pitch and injure a Melbourne City FC player, an official and a Network Ten cameraman, are not acceptable under any circumstance and have no place in football.
“The security and welfare of everyone involved in a football match is paramount and the club will not accept this behaviour.
“The club would like to formally apologise to Tom Glover, match official Alex King and the camera operator as well as all players, officials and those who witnessed the appalling behaviour.
“Melbourne Victory would like to reiterate there is no place in football for what was witnessed tonight”
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