>
Melbourne City Football Club have confirmed that Tom Glover will remain under concussion protocols after Saturday night’s violent pitch invasion in which he was hit over the head with a metal container.
The goalkeeper was rushed to hospital with a concussion and “serious lacerations” after more than 150 spectators forced onto the pitch after 20 minutes of play.
Glover was left bleeding from the head and the match was soon abandoned out of fears for the player’s safety.
Melbourne City have confirmed that Tom Glover (pictured) will remain under concussion protocols after Saturday night’s violent pitch invasion in which he was hit over the head with a metal container.
The goalkeeper (pictured beaten) was rushed to hospital with a concussion and “serious lacerations” after more than 150 spectators forced onto the pitch after 20 minutes of play.
The club issued an update on the glover’s condition on Sunday morning.
“Tom sustained a concussion and severe lacerations to his face,” Melbourne City’s tweet read.
“He was taken to Epworth Hospital for further checks and cleared of any further trauma, returning home in the early hours of this morning.
“He will stay home today and will then be managed by the club on his return to training as per concussion protocols.”
A-League referee Alex King, who was also injured in the shocking scenes at AAMI Park, apparently warned Glover ‘let’s get out of here’, just seconds before they were surrounded and attacked.
Paul Cetrangolo, the head of Australia’s professional soccer referees, revealed that King tried to shield Glover from running fans and wanted him to run moments before they were attacked.
A-League referee Alex King, who was also injured in the shocking scenes at AAMI Park, apparently warned Glover ‘let’s get out of here’, just seconds before they were surrounded and attacked.
Paul Cetrangolo, the head of Professional Football Referees Australia, revealed that King tried to shield Glover from the running fans and wanted him to run moments before they were attacked.
“When he saw what was happening, he actually said to the goalie, ‘Let’s get out of here,'” Cetrangolo told the Herald.
‘It was just at the moment they were about to leave, then they were just surrounded.
‘Obviously he saw what was going on. That was the communication to the goalkeeper not only to stay there, to get out of there. Then obviously it was too late and all hell broke loose.
“Obviously it was right in the middle, unfortunately. I have spoken with him [on Sunday] tomorrow and it’s perfectly fine. There are no lasting effects and nothing that requires major intervention by doctors.
Fans (pictured) stormed the field and Glover and referee Alex King were hit by the metal bucket, which is filled with sand and is used to dispose of flares.
Furious with the A-League’s decision to send the next three grand finals to Sydney, both sets of fans planned to stage a mass walkout in the 20th minute to express their discontent with the decision.
They had previously chanted ‘f*** the APL’ while unfurling banners before the game and during the game, and setting off sparklers on the playing arena.
But the situation escalated when a flare from Victory’s active area hit the cameraman, then exploded as Glover picked up another flare from the ground and hurled it back into the stands.
The fans, mainly Victory’s, stormed the field and Glover and referee Alex King were hit by the metal bucket, which is filled with sand and is used to dispose of flares.
Glover was left with a cut head, which required stitches, and a suspected concussion, while King had a cut eyebrow. A Network 10 cameraman was earlier injured when he was hit by a flare.
Australia’s soccer chief James Johnson said on Sunday he is “appalled and irritated” by the scenes witnessed in Saturday night’s chaotic A-League derby (pictured), but insists the game it’s very safe”.
Australia’s soccer chief James Johnson said on Sunday he was “appalled and irritated” by the scenes witnessed in Saturday night’s chaotic A-League derby but insisted the game was “very safe”. .
“I am horrified, I am irritated, I am angry with the scenes we witnessed last night,” he told the news conference.
“We have in the case of some people, I won’t refer to them as football fans, who were confronted by a player and were met by official people deliberately disrupting targeted people who invaded the field.”
“Football is very safe. We saw in the other games that there were peaceful protests… I don’t think it’s a reflection of the broader game.”