Football Australia to impose ‘strongest sanctions’ after A-League Melbourne derby pitch invasion

Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover was injured after fans invaded the pitch during Saturday night's Melbourne derby. Photo / Getty Images

Football Australia will impose the “strongest sanctions” available following the pitch invasion in Saturday night’s Melbourne derby in the A-League, and will move quickly with their investigation into the incident.

Several fans rushed the field about 21 minutes into the contest between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, with City goalkeeper Tom Glover and referee Alex King attacked by Victory fans. Glover sustained a concussion after being hit in the head with a metal bucket, and both Glover and King suffered cuts during the ruckus. King remained cool in the situation and rushed the teams off the pitch.

The incident began when flares were thrown onto the pitch moments before the pitch invasion. Glover tossed one back behind the LED screens, but footage from those at the ground showed him throwing a second flare back into the stands, with fans responding by storming the pitch. The match was ultimately called off.

FA chief executive James Johnson said the organisation had opened an investigation into the incident with three main outcomes in question; what to do with the result of the match, identifying and sanctioning the individuals involved, and to give a ‘show cause’ notice to Melbourne Victory. FA no longer operates the A-League, but does regulate and govern the league.

“We will be moving swiftly and will be taking the strongest sanctions that are available,” he said.

Johnson would not comment on any potential outcomes while the investigations were ongoing, including whether Glover would be facing repercussions for any potential involvement in escalating the situation.

Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover was injured after fans invaded the pitch during Saturday night's Melbourne derby. Photo / Getty Images

It’s not the first time the Victory have been given a ‘show cause’ notice by FA after an incident involving their fans. In January, the club were investigated following the homophobic abuse from fans directed at Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo.

Saturday night’s incident stemmed from fan frustrations in the wake of the Australian Professional Leagues’ decision to award the A-League grand final hosting rights to Sydney for the next three years.

Fans from both clubs had mooted they would walk out of the stadium at the 20th minute in protest of the APL decision – as was the case with fans at games in Wellington, Newcastle and on the Central Coast - but nobody could have anticipated the scenes that instead occurred.

The actions certainly dimmed the light of the sport so soon after Australia’s impressive run at the Fifa World Cup, and ahead of next year’s Women’s World Cup which is being hosted across New Zealand and Australia.

Johnson, who refused to refer to those who stormed the pitch as fans of the game, said he didn’t expect the ugly scenes to slow down the momentum the sport had gained recently.

“This matter doesn’t reflect the wider game. We saw in Melbourne, the fans at Fed Square, thousands and thousands of great football fans that came together to support the Socceroos. We saw this in other cities around Australia,” Johnson said.

“I’m not worried at all about hosting the Women’s World Cup. I think that is the biggest opportunity for the sport, and what we will see is two big bookends with for the sport with the men’s World Cup having been completed and Australia playing a key role, and then we’ll see another seven months of growth across the game as a result of having the men’s World Cup leading into the Women’s World Cup.”