Football Australia (FA) has imposed a variety of sanctions on Melbourne Victory, as the investigation continues into the shocking scenes at last week’s Melbourne Derby.
The Round 8 clash with rivals Melbourne City was abandoned after Victory fans spilled onto the AAMI Park field of play, and saw Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover struck by a fan, while referee Alex King found himself engulfed by fans. Life-time bans and various suspensions have been issued to supporters, while criminal charges have been laid against some.
After Melbourne Victory were issued with a “show cause” notice, and as FA’s investigation continues, no tickets will be sold for Victory home games, effective immediately and until January 15, 2023 – only valid club members can attend the home fixtures during the period before the show cause is determined.
- Refunds will be issued on any tickets that are not valid Victory members for home games, while home and away active bays will be closed and cordoned off, with tarps applied to at least the first four rows of seating behind the goal line at each end of the stadium.
- For Victory away games, the home and away active bays will be closed, while only valid members and supporters of the home team whom were in receipt of a ticket when ticket sales ceased at 11am AEDT on December 23 will be permitted to enter the venue, while the hosts will be allowed to issue up to 1,000 complimentary tickets to a list of individuals pre-approved by FA.
- Refunds will also be issued for any tickets that are not valid members of the home team.
- For other Victory away fixtures during the period before the show cause notice is determined, the away active bays will be closed, with only members and supporters of the home team allowed to attend – Victory must use best endeavours to discourage the attendance of all supporters of the club.
FA is also reviewing the conduct of some Melbourne City supporters at the Melbourne Derby. In the meantime, for City home matches, Football Australia has also directed the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) to cordon off the home and away active bays until otherwise advised.
“Whilst we continue our very thorough investigation following the inexcusable scenes witnessed at the Melbourne Derby, Football Australia has issued Melbourne Victory with a series of strong sanctions which will need to be implemented to enable their participation in both the A-League Men’s and A-League Women’s competitions until a final show cause determination is made,” Football Australia CEO James Johnson said.
“These sanctions come into immediate effect starting with Melbourne Victory’s A-League Men’s match on Boxing Day away to Western United, and follow the sanctions issued against individuals earlier this week as part of a package of sanctions in response to the incidents witnessed at the Melbourne Derby last weekend.
“These measures are an essential step for Football Australia, as it considers further sporting and financial sanctions that may apply to Melbourne Victory in the show cause determination process.
“Football Australia does not wish to penalise football fans during this time; however, our priority is to ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone within the venue on match days and that any unacceptable behaviour by spectators are not repeated at any football match or event ever again. We believe these measures will achieve this.
“Football Australia would like to acknowledge the cooperation of the APL and Melbourne Victory over the past week, and we are sure this will continue during our ongoing investigation, with a determination on the show cause sanctions to be made in due course.”
Victoria Police announced on Friday that currently 29 people have been arrested in total as part of Operation Astute. Police have now identified 36 people in total from the incident and are continuing to make enquiries.
“The vast majority of A-Leagues fans, members and active groups provide some of the most compelling atmospheres in Australian sport,” APL Commissioner Greg O’Rourke said.
“We applaud the speed with which all parties have reacted to the events of last weekend, and we know that our games will continue to provide a completely safe and inviting environment for families and fans of every background.
“The actions of a tiny minority will not tarnish our game, and we look forward to the focus being on some brilliant football over the coming weeks.”
