‘I almost drove off the road’: Sydney FC CEO vows crowd will be safe at Allianz Stadium

As the country comes to grips with what happened in the Melbourne derby, Sydney FC fans should expect no dramas for their game on Christmas Eve.

Tom Glover spotted for the first time since the attack. Picture: Nine News

Sydney FC chief executive Adam Santo nearly crashed his car when he heard about the chaos in last weekend’s Melbourne derby.

But as Victory await the fallout from the pitch invasion that has rocked the A-League, Santo has encouraged fans to get to Allianz Stadium on Christmas Eve, with crowd safety to be ramped up for Sydney’s own local derby with Macarthur.

Football authorities and the police are still dealing with the fallout from the abhorrent scenes at AAMI Park when a section of the crowd invaded the pitch and attacked Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover.

Tom Glover is recovering well after Saturday’s shocking attack. Picture; Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

It was one of the ugliest moments in Australian sport as what was supposed to be peaceful protests in response to the decision to move the next three A-League grand finals to Sydney turned violent.

Santo was driving down the M1 after Sydney FC’s game against the Mariners on Saturday and couldn’t believe what he was hearing on the radio.

“Even listening to it, I was in a state of absolute shock,” he told the NCA NewsWire.

“I think I almost drove off the road because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was very disappointing for the game to have images like that projected around the world.

“It was something we’ve never seen in Sydney and don’t expect to see.”

Stadiums across the country are bracing for extra security this weekend in case there are any more violent protests, and Santo says his club is well prepared, with Sydney FC officials set to meet with police later in the week.

There could still be some form of protest at Allianz Stadium this weekend. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“We will go through our usual process of determining the risk rating for this fixture,” he said.

“It’s not always the fan sentiment – there are a lot of other factors that go into that appraisal process.

“We will ensure the match is rostered adequately to ensure all the patrons are safe and enjoy the atmosphere of the game.”

Sydney FC holds regular meetings with the club’s active supporters in an open dialogue that serves both parties well, but Santo conceded the club didn’t know yet if the fans had anything planned for Saturday’s game.

“Not as yet,” he said.

“I’m not saying it will or won’t happen, but there’s still some dialogue that’s going on amongst our active supporters with regards to what they’d like to do.

“I’m sure we’ll be made aware of whatever they intend to do, but I think they’re still deciding themselves what course of action they might want to take to voice their feelings regarding the grand final decision.”

While the feeling around the game right now is rather bleak, Santo wants to assure Sydney FC supporters that Allianz Stadium is the perfect place to bring the family on Christmas Eve.

The club is hoping for a crowd of 10,000, with Christmas holidays and other factors set to affect their heaving season average of 22,000 that stacks up well when compared with other football teams around the world.

Santo says fans won’t see anything like this in Sydney.

“The message to our Sydney FC fan base is that we’ve never seen anything like the events that happened down in Melbourne at a game here in Sydney,” Santo said.

“We’re really proud of the family-friendly atmosphere that we create at our matches here at Sydney FC.

“We had our own Sydney derby here earlier in the season and the atmosphere was second to none even though there was some heightened sentiment and feeling. The behaviour on the night was quite fantastic and it created a great atmosphere that I know a lot of families enjoyed.

“We encourage all families to come to the game and enjoy being in the brand new Allianz Stadium where they can enjoy two games of football because the A-League women’s side is playing before the men.”