A man accused of assaulting Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover with a metal bucket during the AAMI Park pitch invasion appeared via video link in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The invasion at AAMI Park forced police to shut down the derby Match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory when at least 150 spectators rushed the ground.
Currently in Newcastle the man, who is apparently of Greek descent and on bail, dialled in to the hearing remotely for the purpose of changing his bail address.
When asked by the presiding magistrate John Hardy how his client would sign his undertaking of bail if not in Melbourne, the man’s solicitor assured the magistrate that the accused would “only be away for a short period of time.”
The man has been charged with a number of offences including intent to cause injury, unlawful assault, discharge of a missile, public nuisance and riotous behaviour.
Also charged by police with entry to a sporting competition space and disrupting a match, he was reminded by the magistrate that he has been banned from AAMI Park and the Olympic Park precinct, alongside prohibition from attending A-League matches as part of his bail conditions.
Ordered to attend the Melbourne Magistrates’ on his return, his next court appearance is scheduled for 27 February 2023 as are those of two other men charged with assaulting Glover among other offences carrying a maximum of 10 years imprisonment if found guilty.
Glover avoided suspension on Tuesday when Football Australia announced a referee had determined he had not thrown flares into a crowd of fans intentionally while clearing the field during the event.
The governing body announced a number of sanction measures coinciding with Melbourne Victory’s boxing day away against Western United, which the team must comply with in order to continue competing in the A-League competition.
“Football Australia does not wish to penalise football fans during this time; however, our priority is to ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone within the venue on match days… We believe these measures will achieve this,” they said.
Police, who are working closely with Football Australia and AAMI Park’s operations team have now identified close to 40 people from the incident making numerous arrests as the investigation continues.
