An Australian A-League soccer match between local rivals Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory came to an abrupt end on Saturday after Victory fans stormed the field and attacked City goalkeeper Tom Glover.
Fans set off flares and small fireworks throughout the game, particularly in the 11th minute to celebrate an opening goal from City midfielder Aiden O’Neill.
Chaos ensued in the 20th minute when Glover threw a flare that landed near him off the field and back to the Victory fans.
The violent scene unfolded as Victory fans stormed the field and Glover was hit in the head by a metal bucket filled with sand, reportedly designed to extinguish flares hurled in his direction. Teammates tumbled him off the field as blood dripped from the side of his head.
City officials said Glover required stitches and suspected a concussion following the incident.
Referee Alex King also suffered a bleeding head injury from the bucket thrown and an unnamed referee coach was pushed against the fence.
Victoria Police estimated that 150–200 Victory supporters stormed the field, according to ESPN.
After a long delay, the match was abandoned for security reasons, a first in A-League history.
Victory issued a statement on Saturday condemning the actions of fans and apologizing. “This behavior will not be tolerated and the club, together with AAMI Park and Victoria Police, will be conducting a full investigation into the incident,” the statement said.
“Melbourne Victory would like to reiterate that there is no place in football for what was witnessed tonight.”
Melbourne Victory issued an official apology after an opposing goalkeeper suffered a concussion and required stitches. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
A protest turned violent
City and Victory fans were seen exiting the stadium throwing flares, one of which appeared to hit a Network Ten cameraman.
The exits were part of an ongoing strike demonstration in protest at the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) decision to sell the hosting rights of the leagues’ men’s and women’s major finals to Sydney for the next three years.
Fans on Twitter cited previous demonstrations where fans walked out of multiple games peacefully, even leaving signs with messages like “Fans > Money.”
The story goes on
Rosengård goalkeeper Teagan Micah responded to the violence at the Melbourne Derby on Twitter, citing her own experiences with Victory fans.
“Fans threw GLASS BOTTLES at us and all I got was an ‘apology’ and remarked that the fans HAVE ALREADY BEEN BANNED FOR LIFE AND STILL MAKE INCOME FROM GLASS BOTTLES,” she wrote. “Melbourne Victory continues to ALLOW their fans to get away with this behavior! It’s a shame!!”
She sent love to Glover and City, adding that “players should feel SAFE coming and playing.”