City and victory are eager to forget the notorious Melbourne Derby’s “dark memory.”
On Saturday night at AAMI Park, City and the Victory are going to give fans a Melbourne derby to remember for all the right reasons.
Paul Izzo was on the other side of the field, but the Melbourne Derby in December of last year still clearly sticks in his mind as the unsettling scene of the pitch invasion.
A little over a year after the worst night in Australian football history, Victory and City square off in another derby this Saturday night at the sensible location of AAMI Park.
The equivalent match from the previous season lasted just 20 minutes before being called off when Victory supporters stormed the field in a startling incident that including attacks on City goalie Tom Glover and referee Alex King.
Before the game, there had been a lot of tension since groups of A-League supporters from all around the competition had organized walkouts during games to express their disapproval of the Australian Professional League’s decision to sell the NSW government the right to host the grand final.
But after Glover threw a flare that had been thrown at him back into the grandstand behind his goal, nobody could have predicted what would follow that evening.
“It’s a very dark memory,” Izzo remarked after receiving flares hurled at him by City supporters.
“Watching everything unfold left me in shock.”
He wasn’t alone, as incensed officials moved quickly to punish the offending supporters with a variety of penalties, including life bans, and the Victory, who
Izzo remarked, “We hope something like that never happens again.”
“The impact it had on us cannot be denied, but right now the club is moving in the right path.
“I sincerely hope that Saturday night’s game is a spectacle that restores the derby to its rightful place as one of the league’s greatest contests, and I believe we’re headed in that direction.”
Tony Popovic, the coach of the winning team, has refrained from discussing with his players what happened a year ago this week.
“There’s not much to say about that,” stated Popovic, whose stunned expression as he saw Victory supporters storm the field that evening remains a vivid reminder of the event.
“We admit what took place. It has already been a year. All of us have moved on.
Popovic hopes that Saturday night’s event, which is anticipated to draw an audience of over 25,000, would set a new standard for the A-League.
He said, “It can only help our code. We want the full house, we want the passion in the stands, we want the excitement of the fans.”
This next game is something of which the league should be proud. Let’s show off a fantastic show, pack the stands, demonstrate the value of our offering, and help Melbourne Victory win three points.
With the exception of hoping for a Victory victory, Jamie Maclaren, the captain of City, mirrored Popovic’s thoughts.
We’ve all moved on, Maclaren remarked, “It wasn’t great that night on the pitch.”
“Both clubs have moved on and are really interested in attracting supporters who wish to go, cheer for both sides, and create a family-friendly atmosphere.
Here in Melbourne, we’re in a fantastic spot. It’s proceeding
All we want is a spotless game. We’ll fight it out as players on the field. We look forward to playing excellent football for ninety minutes, so leave that to us to delight you.
The national governing body of football, Football Australia, was “dedicated to maintaining football as a safe and welcoming environment for everyone involved,” according to James Johnson, chief executive officer of the sport.
Johnson stated, “We experienced an incident twelve months ago that radically went against our ideals and expectations in Australian football.”
“We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. We at Football Australia took swift and decisive action in reaction to this occurrence, demonstrating our strong position against such behavior in the game.
“We took a strict approach, hoping to not only resolve the incident at hand but also act as a warning against any similar behavior in the future.”
The APL acknowledged the “significance” of Saturday’s derby, according to A-League commissioner Nick Garcia.
Garcia anticipated a “fantastic atmosphere” at AAMI Park and stated, “We have been working with all stakeholders including clubs, venue, and police, to ensure the best possible experience for fans and those who work at the venue.”
