The recent edition of the Melbourne Derby was abandoned earlier today after an angry mob of fans stormed the pitch while play was going on, with one player being injured amidst the chaotic event.
The two Melbourne clubs, Victory and City, faced off at the latter's AAMI Park in what should have been an exciting fixture. The home side, who currently top the A-League Men's table, took the lead through an 11th-minute Aiden O'Neill goal. Unfortunately, the match did not even reach the half-an-hour mark before things took a turn for the worse.
The home and away fans were throwing flares onto the pitch in protest against the Australian Professional League's decision to sell the hosting rights for the grand finals to Sydney for the next three years. Sadly, one of the Network 10 cameramen appeared to have been struck, and when City goalkeeper Tom Glover picked up one of the flares that landed near him and threw it back into the stand housing the Victory supporters, mayhem erupted.
This occurred in the 22nd minute, with fans rushing onto the pitch, many of which confronted Glover in anger. The Australian shot-stopper was then struck in the face with a metal bucket used to dispose of the flares. The players were immediately taken off the pitch due to safety reasons, but for the aforementioned goalkeeper, the damage had already been done as he was left bloodied by the incident and with a suspected concussion.
The Melbourne Derby produced some tense scenes after fans stormed the pitch 20 minutes into the match.
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 17, 2022
The game was ultimately abandoned to ensure the safety of the staff and players. pic.twitter.com/oiz46Cntk1
WARNING: Expletive language can be heard in the clip below
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
The referee was left covered in sand from that bucket thrown at the keeper. The game was later abandoned, with Football Australia releasing a statement to strongly condemn the actions of the pitch invaders.
"Following shocking scenes during the first half of the A-League Men's match between Melbourne Victory FC and Melbourne City FC at AAMI Park on Saturday 17 December, where fans from the Melbourne Victory FC end entered the field of play, Football Australia match officials have abandoned the match in accordance with Law 5.3 of the Laws of the Game in order to protect the integrity of the match.
"Such behavior has no place in Australian Football, with a full Football Australia investigation to commence immediately, where strong sanctions to be handed down."
A mass walkout was initially scheduled for the 20th minute but things sadly turned ugly. This incident stems from the APL's decision to sell the hosting rights for the grand finals to Sydney for the next three years, a move which has been met with anger from the A-League supporters.
Traditionally, clubs had to earn the right to host the grand finals depending on how they performed in the finals series. This deal, worth a reported $10M, hasn't gone down well in Australia. Nonetheless, the actions of those fans at the Melbourne Derby have garnered worldwide criticism, and rightfully so.
