Away with it: pyrotechnics were also used during the riots in Melbourne.
Image: dpa
Angry fans storm onto the field during the derby between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City. They attack players, a cameraman and the referee are injured. Now there are consequences.
DThe Australian football league has imposed a record penalty on club Melbourne Victory. The background is the serious riots in December during the aborted city derby against Melbourne City. The club has to pay 550,000 Australian dollars (around 350,000 euros).
In addition, the club faces a ten-point deduction for the period up to the end of the 2025/26 season in the event of another incident. There are also various spectator restrictions for the remaining home and away games in the current season. The abandoned game is set to resume in April with City 1-0 up in the 22nd minute, Football Australia decided on Tuesday.
Metal bucket meets goalkeeper
Around 150 fans stormed onto the pitch at AAMI Stadium for the clash in December. City goalkeeper Tom Glover was hit in the head by a metal bucket at close range. as seen in a video on social media. A cameraman and a referee were also injured. Groups of fans from both teams had previously thrown pyrotechnics onto the pitch.
These are the heaviest sanctions in A-League history, said league boss James Johnson. “These sanctions reflect our desire to remove this behavior and those who caused it from our game.”
