The director of Soccer Australia (FA), James Johnson, announced this Sunday that he had launched an investigation into the violent attack by dozens of supporters on the field during the derby between the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City teams, which left several injured, including the latter’s goalkeeper, Tom Glover.
“The investigation will be directed against those people (who invaded the field), who we will remove from this sport,” Johnson emphasized in media statements.
Almost 200 Victory supporters, according to local newspaper ‘The Age’, stormed the Melbourne Rectangular stadium field on Saturday night after 22 minutes of play, as City beat Victory 1-0, both first division team in Australia.
City goalkeeper Tom Glover and referee Alex King suffered cuts to the head from the impact of the metal bucket as the referee tried to protect the player. A television cameraman was also injured in the attack, which ended the derby.
“We will act quickly and we will take the strictest punishment we have at hand,” he added. “This is something that interferes with our sport and is really trying to destroy it for the 2 million people who love it,” he said.
A City statement said 24-year-old Glover received a number of stitches and underwent a medical examination after the impact, adding that he would be able to return to training after the tests were completed. For its part, Victory emphasized that the club is “devastated” and “unequivocally condemns” the “destructive behavior” of the fans, actions “that have no place in football.”
The derby had started amid tensions a few days earlier
The derby began amid tensions, after the sale of the league’s first division grand final rights to Sydney for the next three years was announced last week, and protests are expected at several matches this weekend. of the week.
Fans of both teams contesting the Melbourne derby planned to leave the field after 20 minutes of play in protest, but the situation worsened after fireworks were thrown onto the pitch from the stands. Victoria Police, the state of which Melbourne is the capital, is also investigating the events.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
