‘Shame’: Violent encroachment on Melbourne A-League pitch accused of injuring player, investigation launched
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- An investigation has been launched into fan violence that disrupted the Melbourne Derby match.
- City goalkeeper Tom Glover received medical attention after a bottle was thrown in his head.
- Flares were thrown by both sets of fans before the ensuing pitch invasion.
The A-League men’s Melbourne derby was forced to a dramatic halt in one of the ugliest scenes in the history of the competition after fan protests turned into pitch invasion.
Fans in Melbourne Victory’s active area flooded the pitch just after the 20th minute of Saturday night’s game at AAMI Park, with Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover threatening to slam the ball after someone threw a metal bucket. He was decapitated and had a suspected concussion.
Fans then flooded the pitch and Glover was hit by a metal bucket used to dispose of Flair and soon began bleeding from his temples and required medical assistance.
“Regardless of what happened, this is not the way to respond and it just makes the game look worse,” he said in a Twitter message.
Fans across the competition were protesting the league’s decision to sell the next three Grand Finals to Sydney.
Melbourne City fans hold up signs against the APL’s decision regarding the A-League Grand Final. sauce: AAP / Will Murray
Both fans started chants “f*** the APL” shortly after the previous A-League women’s game ended.
The game then descended into chaos.
The incident was widely criticized by football fans and social media viewers, with many describing it as ‘disgusting’, ‘shocking’, ‘shameful’ and ‘horrifying’.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/disgraceful-violent-melbourne-a-league-pitch-invasion-condemned-as-player-injured-investigation-launched/e9mv9hcip ‘Shame’: Violent encroachment on Melbourne A-League pitch accused of injuring player, investigation launched
