When Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover made the spotlight for the Melbourne Victory fans, the puppets went dancing in the derby.
Some Melbourne Victory fans stormed the pitch and an unsuspecting Glover was hit in the head with a metal bucket. With a head injury, the goalkeeper was taken to the changing rooms, where he was stitched up.
The match was stopped immediately and the police had difficulty chasing the fans back to the stands.
The police had already expected protests before the whistle. The two clubs’ supporters had announced that they would leave the stadium en masse after 20 minutes to protest a controversial decision by the Australian rights holder.
The ‘Grand Final’ of the season usually always takes place at Commander’s Field, but to fill a money hole those finals were sold to Sydney first for a lot of money. To the dismay of the Melbourne supporters.
But the protest did not go as planned. The festive returns of some of the Australian World Cup champions, such as Matthew Leckie and Jimmy McClaren, turned out to be a disappointment.
