Victory legend Archie Thompson ‘in shock’ after fans of his former club attacked City keeper

Melbourne Victory legend Archie Thompson has criticized fans of his former club for causing the violent scenes that led to the abandonment of the Melbourne derby on Saturday.

The A-League clash between Victory and City at AAMI Park was called off just 20 minutes after Victory fans invaded the pitch and City goalkeeper Tom Glover was attacked, with a dustbin smashed into his face .

The 24-year-old was left bloody and required stitches and remains in concussion protocol after being hit by the bucket, which was filled with sand and placed just outside the pitch to help the stewards contain the large amount of debris. flares that had been fired.

Tom Glover required stitches after Victory fans hit him in the face with a container

The incident has left Australian rules football in shock and the feeling of well-being generated by the Socceroos’ brilliant World Cup performances seems like a distant memory.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ve never been so disgusted, ashamed, disgraced … everything,” Thompson, who spent 11 seasons with Victory, said on SEN Sunday.

“To be honest it’s a hard pill to swallow because I don’t know where our game will go now that all the talk after the World Cup was so positive, it’s funny how quickly things can change.”

‘I’m still in shock […] I felt that we were all hurt as we watched these things play out.

A planned protest against the A-League’s plans to move the Grand Final to Sydney turned violent

Fans stormed the pitch in the 21st minute of the Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory match

Victory fans were planning to stage a mass walkout in the 20th minute to express their discontent with the A-League’s controversial decision to move the Grand Final to Sydney.

Since the A-League began in 2005, clubs have needed to earn the right to host the grand final based on their performance in the final series. NSW’s decision goes against A-League tradition.

This week, groups of supporters across the country criticized the deal, worth $10 million, and announced their intention to voice their opposition by leaving games at the 20-minute mark.

But Thompson insisted that those responsible for the violence at AAMI Park did not have the best interests of football in mind and questioned the lack of an adequate police response.

Former Melbourne Victory striker Archie Thompson said he was shocked by incidents that unfolded at AAMI Park on Saturday that forced the Melbourne derby to be abandoned.

The former Socceroos striker said those involved in the events were not football fans

“I wouldn’t even classify them as football fans, I would classify them as violence fans, that’s all,” he said.

‘Where is everyone, maybe the police to prepare for maybe something to happen, maybe they should have put a lot of that in place beforehand?

“I have been to many football matches where there are more policemen than fans.

‘These things should have been thought of before all these things happened.’