Three men have been arrested, a game has been suspended, and a goalkeeper in Australia had to have stitches to fix a head wound sustained in one of the wildest pitch invasions you’ll ever see.
Soccer game in Australia breaks down in anarchy as fan attacks goalkeeper with metal bucket
Three fans were arrested for their role in the melee.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
The A-League’s “Melbourne Derby” between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory was halted over the weekend just 20 minutes into the match when a flare landed on the field, thrown towards City keeper Thomas Glover. He responded by picking it up and throwing it back into the stands, and anarchy broke out of the field.
Security was unable to contain the crowd from rushing the field. Three fans in particular, all identified as Melbourne Victory supporters, surrendered themselves to police this week after warrants were issued for their arrests. The 18, 19 and 23 year old men include the man identified as throwing a metal bucket, which appeared to be filled with chalk, at Glover, who had to get stitches to close a head wound sustained in the attack.
Now the fan incident could have mammoth ramifications on their team’s season. The A-League is weighing whether to issue strong sanctions against Melbourne Victory for the actions of their fans, which could result in a loss of points in the standings, financial penalties, or even being forced to play behind closed doors for the rest of the season.
Over $120,000 in damages were estimated by police in the pitch invasions. Fans had 50 flares lit inside the stadium, with two security guards also injured in the incident.
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