An Australian A-League soccer match between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City had to be called off on Saturday in the wake of fans storming the pitch in protest.
Melbourne Victory issued a formal apology after their supporters marred the local clash by staging an incident that ended up turning violent.
Fans are displeased with the league administrators of the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) opting to sell hosting rights to the division’s men’s and women’s grand finals to Sydney for the next three years. As a result, they executed a joint walkout in during the match’s 20th minute, throwing flares before leaving. One fan was shown hitting a cameraman.
The first 20 minutes of the game had already seen fans lighting flares up, while City supporters tossed projectiles onto the pitch as Aiden O’Neill celebrated the first (and only) goal of the game in the 11th minute.
Things got a lot worse in minute 20 when City goalkeeper Tom Glover made an attempt to get rid of a projectile that had landed near him. The goalie threw a flare back into the Victory crowd, which led to multiple fans rushing the pitch in an uproar.
Glover was hit in the face with a metal bucket filled with sand and had to be rushed off the pitch by his teammates as blood flowed from the side of his head. Referee Alex King was also the victim of said bucket, sustaining a gash to the head.
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The match was abandoned following a long delay, marking the first time an A-League match has gotten called off due to such circumstances.
Victory has since published a statement in which they said the club is devastated by the actions of their fans.
“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,” the statement reads.
No Arrests Had Been Made At The Time Of Writing
Local police have also made a statement, noting that 15-200 Victory supporters rushed the pitch, while they confirmed the goalkeeper and referee did suffer injuries, adding the cameraman was injured after getting hit by a flare.
The law enforcement agency said that no arrests had been made but they were investigating the matter.
“The Melbourne Victory fans who stormed the pitch, resulting in the assault of a player, a referee and a member of match day broadcast staff, should be subjected to the strongest possible sanctions,” the player’s union Professional Footballers Australia said in a statement.
“We acknowledge the courage of players, club staff and referees who came to the aid of each other in circumstances that no one should ever be exposed to.”
Glover required stitches and is believed to be concussed but King has been described as more shaken than hurt.
