Melbourne Victory FC will tonight front the FFV Tribunal in relation to events which occurred during the NPL Round 9 fixture against South Melbourne FC at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday April 24th.
Football Federation Victoria has laid the charge of Club Misconduct. Specifically, the MP10 charge of its club associates (i.e supporters) bringing the club, the FFV and the game of football into disrepute and or otherwise adversely affecting the image or reputation of the game by ‘participating in a melee (violent)’.
The FFV has already been to the tribunal with charges against 17 individuals involved in the incident. Each returned a guilty finding, with the outcomes including bans of up to five years for some.
Melbourne Victory, if found guilty, face a number of potential penalties, including:
- financial fine;
- loss of competition points for their NPL team;
- playing matches behind closed doors.
The fixture and the incident are unique for a variety of reasons. The security and risk assessment carried our prior to the fixture resulted in an unprecedented security plan being put in place. For the first time in the short history of the NPL, Melbourne Victory supporters were segregated from all other players and supporters entering Lakeside Stadium through a separate gate and seated in the grandstand on the other side of the ground. An increased security presence was in place and Melbourne Victory deployed three of their supporter marshals at the contest.
The proactive approach taken by Melbourne Victory and South Melbourne FC in conjunction with Lakeside Stadium, the FFV and Victoria Police, gave credibility to the risks associated with anti-social behaviour not normally associated at NPL level. Measures were put in place by both clubs, however it became apparent these were insufficient to prevent a large number of people jumping the fence, running across the athletics track and engaging in what the tribunal notices lists as a violent melee.
The case before the tribunal will be to assess the proactive activities undertaken by the club, the security and associated measures that were put in place and the overall level of control the club had in effectively managing their ‘club associates’. The club may very well put a case forward of what else they could have done to provide a safe and secure football environment.
This incident isn’t the first time Victory fans have been involved in a high-profile incident at an NPL level. Last year, the first season involving youth teams of Victory and City, Victory were fined for an incident that occurred on 28 March 2015 in an NPL 1 fixture against Ballarat Red Devils, incurring a $1000 fine.
The most recent charges before the tribunal do not reference the event last year, listing the Lakeside incident as a first offence. This indicates the position of the FFV may be that incidents only apply as a second offence if it occurs in the same year, otherwise the slate is wiped clean.
Melbourne Victory currently sit 13th on the NPL with three wins from 15 matches. Any potential loss of competition points from the tribunal may deal a terminal blow to their efforts to remain in the top tier of Victorian football and avoid relegation to the NPL2.