Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou has told A-League clubs and their fans to take it down a notch following two punch-ups. With the season still more than six weeks away, Postecoglou says he is at a loss to understand what is going on.
Four players were sent off after a brawl in a not-so-friendly friendly game between the Jets and Phoenix on Saturday night last week at Weston, near Newcastle.
The incident came a week after rival fans clashed at a preseason game involving Sydney FC at Campbelltown.
“I think players and coaches and everyone involved should probably understand this is preseason,” Postecoglou said.
The two-time A-League winning former Brisbane coach said lack of discipline will not be tolerated at the Victory, and that he would be disappointed if his team were to get involved in the messy business. “I think discipline’s part of getting your team ready.”
Football Federation Australia (FFA) was reviewing the latest incident, which resulted in Jets defender Tiago and Phoenix trio Manny Muscat, Ben Sigmund and Andrew Durante being sent off in the 3-1 win to Newcastle.
In Sydney, a six-year-old boy was among those injured when rivals fans of Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers clashed.