It’s being regarded as one of the most shameful nights in the history of Australian football.
Saturday night’s Melbourne derby at AAMI Park was called off early for safety reasons 20 minutes in after a fan protest turned ugly in a pitch invasion that saw Melbourne City goalkeeper Thomas Glover assaulted and left blooded.
And this was the moment that sparked the wild scenes.
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A video from a fan in the stands appears to show Glover throw a flare back in the direction of riled up Victory supporters, who stormed onto the field seconds later.
“Glover has to be careful there, because that is going to cause a bit of a problem,” the commentator noted on the main broadcast, which didn’t capture the specific moment.
Security was left helpless in the disgraceful scenes that followed as Glover was hit in the face with a bin, while referee Alex King was also attacked.
Players attacked during Melbourne Derby | 01:11
After 40 minutes after the stoppage begun, the match was officially abandoned due to player safety.
Fans from both teams had thrown flares onto the pitch and had cautioned walking out of the stadium at the 20th minutes mark in a protest of the APL decision to give the A-League grand final to Sydney for the next three years.
But this night culminated in scary scenes much, much worse than anyone could’ve anticipated.
The moment provoked outrage among football commentators and fans, while it’s been condemned by Football Australia and left Melbourne Victory “devastated.”
FA chief executive James Johnson confirmed an investigation will be opened and lifetime bans are likely to be given to some Victory fans.
“It was disgusting behaviour and disgraceful scenes,” Johnson told News Corp Australia.
“A full investigation will take places and those responsible will face the harshest of punishments.”