Football Australia boss James Johnson ‘appalled’ after violent Melbourne A-League derby

Football Australia (FA) boss James Johnson says he is “appalled and irritated” by the scenes witnessed at Saturday night’s chaotic A-League derby in Melbourne – but insists the game is “very safe ” is.

The sport’s governing body oversees the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) – which run the top-level competitions – and Johnson, the CEO, reassured fans the horrific incident was not “a reflection of the wider game” in a news conference on Sunday morning.

Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover required hospital treatment and stitches after being hit in the face with a bucket full of sand as the derby descended into chaos and was eventually abandoned.

They were scenes never seen before in Australian football, which has developed quite a violent reputation over the years; and Johnson refused to even call the members of the crowd who attended as fans.

The game was halted after Victory fans stormed the pitch, forcing players and match officials to quickly retreat to the dressing rooms

“I’m appalled, I’m irritated, I’m angry at the scenes we saw last night. We have in the case of some people – I won’t call them football fans – who confronted a player and they met officials who disrupted deliberately guided people who entered the pitch,” he said at Sunday’s press conference.

“Football is very safe. We’ve seen in the other games that there were peaceful protests… I don’t think that’s a reflection on the broader game.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson has condemned the “individuals” involved in Saturday night’s chaotic scenes and refuses to call them fans

Angry at the A-League’s decision to send the next three Grand Finals to Sydney, both fan groups planned a mass strike in the 20th minute to vent their dissatisfaction with the decision.

They had previously chanted “f*** the APL” while unfurling banners and throwing flares onto the gaming arena before and during the game.

But the situation escalated when a flare from Victory’s active area hit the cameraman and then exploded as Glover picked up another flare from the ground and threw it back into the stands.

Thomas Glover was left bloodied and play at AAMI Park was quickly abandoned during the violent and chaotic scenes

Then fans, most notably of Victory, rushed onto the pitch and Glover and referee Alex King were both hit by the sand-filled metal bucket used to dispose of flares.

Glover had a cut to his head that required stitches and a suspected concussion, while King had a laceration to his eyebrow. A Network 10 cameraman was previously injured when he was hit by a flare.

Johnson confirmed Melbourne Victory – who were previously sanctioned by the FA and Football Victoria for crowd behavior – would receive a notification from the organization about the cause of the show.

He also reiterated that the APL’s decision to give hosting rights exclusively to Sydney, which was blown up in a large scale, in no way justifies the events at AAMI Park.

A protest against the A-League’s plans to move the Grand Final to Sydney turned violent as fans stormed the field and threw flares

Fans of all A-League clubs protested the A-League giving Sydney exclusive rights to host the grand final… but Victory turned violent after holding up those banners

Football Australia boss James Johnson confirmed on Sunday Melbourne Victory would receive a show cause notice

“We’re going to look at the facts, we’re going to look at it objectively and we’re going to make a decision that’s in the best interest of the game,” Johnson said of the penalty Victory will face.

“FA does not direct the affairs of the APL or the organization of the APL, the role of FA is disciplinary matters, ethics procedures, licensing, setting the schedule and not interfering in business decisions.

“There is no justification for the behavior we saw last night. I don’t care about people who think the GF decision is wrong or right. Anyone who thinks that justifies the behavior is completely wrong.

“People who behave like this, I don’t call them fans and I won’t call them fans. What’s important is our reaction – that’s easy, there’s no place for that kind of behavior in our sport and people who behave like that get sorted out and weeded out quickly,” Johnson said at Sunday morning’s news conference.

Fans stormed the pitch in the 21st minute, ran straight over LED advertising boards and passed helplessly and overwhelmed security guards

Players from both teams were herded through the tunnel as events unfolded, while fans swung from the goal at the Victory end of the ground.

The game was suspended for almost 45 minutes before officials made the decision to abandon the game.

“Our game is in shambles. An absolute disgrace what happened tonight,” Socceroos and Central Coast goalkeeper Danny Vukovic said on Twitter.

“I can’t believe we are here after such an amazing World Cup and so much potential to see our game grow. Irreparable damage done. The darkest day for football in Australia.”

Fellow Socceroos and A-League star Craig Goodwin, who spoke out against plans to move the Grand Final to Sydney this week, said: “Extremely disappointing. Regardless of what happened, this is no way to react and just gives the game a bad look.

Many fans lit torches in the stands at AAMI Park on Saturday night

Johnson was keen to stress that he believes sport in Australia as a whole is heading in a brilliant direction – and should not be clouded by the poor behavior of fans on Saturday.

“This pitch invasion has nothing to do with the rising ground swell of our sport. It has nothing to do with the 2 million people who support our game week after week,” he said.

“It’s an element that has infiltrated our sport and is trying to ruin it for the 2 million people who love our sport.

The A-League plays a role in the broader ecosystem of sport. I see us as a footballing nation… leagues do play a role. However, I don’t think a group of people who engaged in unacceptable behavior last night is a reflection of the wider sport

“It would be unfair to target the sport rather than the people involved,” Johnson said.