Football Victoria (FV) welcomes today’s Tribunal findings after a thorough investigation of crowd behaviour during the NPL Victoria match between Altona Magic SC and Dandenong Thunder FC on June 15 at Paisley Park, Altona North.
The Tribunal found North Sunshine Eagles SC liable for the behaviour of three of its supporters (including a coach) who attended the match who were found to have committed “severe” and “significant” violence.
The club and the individuals were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute with sanctions, including lengthy bans, ranging from 2 years to a life ban. North Sunshine Eagles SC were also handed a $10,000 fine, suspended due to cooperation by the club.
FV believes this sends a strong message that crowd violence will not be tolerated and reiterates that clubs are responsible for the behaviour of their supporters. We remain committed to ensuring that football matches uphold community standards and provide a safe and family-friendly environment at all times.
FV would also like to point out that Dandenong Thunder FC were found not to have been involved in the incident and accordingly want to correct the NPL Victoria live stream broadcast suggesting any involvement.
FV wants to clearly reiterate to all teams that security and safety of venues is their responsibility when hosting home fixtures.
“The Tribunal’s decisions again underline FV’s call to Respect The Game. We all need to keep working together to keep our game strong and protect participants, match officials, club administrators, volunteers and spectators at each venue each week,” FV CEO Peter Filopoulos said.