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Tom Glover (center) was hit in the face by a bucket
Photo:
Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
During the football derby between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory, fans rushing onto the field attacked and injured City goalkeeper Tom Glover.
The explosive duel in the Australian A-League was then stopped after 20 minutes on Saturday.
Video posted on social media shows angry fans rushing onto the pitch, shoving and attempting to hit Glover before he is hit in the head at close range by a metal bucket.
As a result, the 24-year-old was dazed and taken off the field bleeding.
Security guards and players from both teams managed to put Glover between them and the fans.
A tense atmosphere prevailed from the start of the game as both fan groups planned to leave the encounter after 20 minutes as part of a protest against the Australian Professional Leagues.
They wanted to protest the league's decision to sell the men's and women's A-League Finals to Sydney until the end of 2025.
The situation escalated when Glover threw a rocket back towards the stands
Then, with hosts City 1-0 up, fans stormed the pitch at AAMI Stadium.
Groups of fans from both teams had previously thrown pyrotechnics onto the pitch.
The situation escalated when a missile apparently hit a cameraman and then exploded.
Glover then picked another one off the ground and threw it back toward the stands.
After that, the situation escalated.
The metal bucket filled with a white powder that hit Glover was used to dispose of pyrotechnics.
Glover received medical treatment in the dressing room and is believed to have suffered a concussion, his club said.
A laceration on his head was stitched up.
The Australian football association Football Australia announced an investigation and tough sanctions after the "shocking" scenes.
"Such behavior has no place in Australian football," the association said.
The demolition was done "to protect the integrity of the game."
mas/dpa
