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Melbourne Victory have been spared an immediate points deduction but will play the next three-and-a-half seasons with a 10-point sanction and the threat of a transfer ban hanging over their heads.
Football Australia on Tuesday issued the club with $550,000 in fines stemming from last month’s violent pitch invasion in their A-League Men derby with Melbourne City.
Victory will be forced to resume the match in April as part of the response announced by FA chief executive James Johnson at a Sydney press conference.
The four-time ALM champions have accepted the sanctions and have stated they will disband their active supporter group, which FA had banned for the rest of the current campaign.
“Deducting points (immediately) was considered,” Johnson said.
“What we decided is that what is important is the integrity of our competition.
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“We felt that if we were to implement a points deduction now, it wasn’t the most effective way of deterring the fans.
“If a spectator runs onto the pitch and there’s an assault, there will be an automatic 10-point deduction and if that were to occur, that will destroy Melbourne Victory’s (season).”
The suspended points deduction only applies to the club’s ALM side and will last until the end of the 2025-26 season, with any similar violent incidents likely to invoke its application.
The FA boss said his organisation had shown they were willing to crack down on crowd violence.
He claimed the game’s governing body, who regulate the ALM on behalf of the Australian Professional Leagues, would meet any further misbehaviour with harsher penalties.
(Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
“In future you’re going to see as a regulator, be able to use other mechanisms, such as club licensing rules or transfer system sanctions as well,” Johnson said.
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Johnson said City goalkeeper Tom Glover would not be punished for hurling a flare into Victory’s active supporter bay.
The incident was viewed as the trigger point for the pitch invasion which led to Glover and referee Alex King being attacked.
“He gets off on this occasion,” Johnson said.
“We do need some protocols to educate players about (flares) and that’s something our taskforce will look at.”
Rather than award a walkover to City following the violence, the game will resume from the 22nd minute – the time when Victory fans stormed the pitch and assaulted opposition goalkeeper Glover.
City will retain their 1-0 lead from the abandoned match.
Fans storm the pitch in protest during the round eight A-League Men’s match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park, on December 17, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
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“Whoever wins the competition needs to be remembered for winning it on the pitch,” Johnson said.
“Whether you’re deducting points from Melbourne Victory or you’re giving points to City, it’s something we wanted to avoid. We wanted the integrity of the season to remain intact.”
The $550,000 penalty represents the biggest fine in the sport’s history in Australia. It comprises $350,000 in an immediate fine, a three-and-a-half-year $100,000 suspended fine, and $100,000 to make-up for lost revenue.
Away supporter bays will be closed off to Victory fans for the remainder of the season.
To date, FA have handed out 17 bans to supporters who charged the pitch.
