Why football hooligan who smashed a metal bucket into A-League goalie’s face walked free from court despite being sentenced to jail
An AAMI Park invader responsible for leaving former Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover with 10 stitches and a ‘permanent memory’ of one of the worst incidents in Australian football has been released on bail less than an hour after he was sentenced to prison.
Alex Agelopoulos, 23, returned to Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to violent disorder and disrupting a match. He was sentenced to three months in prison, followed by an eighteen-month community correction order.
Agelopoulos, dubbed ‘Bucket Man’ in the media after the field invasion, threw a bucket of sand at Mr Glover, leaving him in the hospital with cuts to his face and a concussion.
At the end of the hearing, when Agelopoulos was expected to be led to the cells by security, his lawyer Dermot Dann KC announced that he had been instructed to appeal the verdict to a higher court.
Alex Agelopoulos (pictured) was sentenced to three months in prison, but a last-minute action by his lawyer saw him walk out of court on bail
Agelopoulos walked free from court prior to that hearing, after police did not object to bail.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Glover said the scar on his right cheek gave him a ‘permanent memory’ of Agelopoulos’ offence.
He told the court that he was now fearful and apprehensive in public and felt wary when he entered the field as memories of the attack lingered.
The incident occurred during the A-League derby match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory on December 17, when about 120 to 150 people from the north stand stormed the pitch in the 20th minute.
Agelopoulos was caught on video throwing a bucket of sand at goalkeeper Tom Glover in one of the worst incidents in A-League history
Spectators planned to walk out after twenty minutes to protest the Football Federation Australia’s deal to host the next three grand finals at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
Instead, the field was invaded at 8:06 pm after a lit flare was thrown and Mr Glover accidentally threw it back into the stands.
Bottles, flares, metal buckets and broken stadium seats were thrown around as the match was abandoned by the referees after 22 minutes.
Multiple people, including referee Alex King, Mr. Glover, a cameraman and a security guard, were injured in the chaos, which caused more than $200,000 in damage to the stadium.
The Melbourne City goalkeeper (left) had to be hospitalized with a laceration to his face and a concussion after the attack
In court, prosecutors argued that Agelopoulos’ actions during the field invasion were the “most serious acts of violence” after Mr Glover caused the injury.
Magistrate Rosemary Falla said Football Federation Australia’s decision to sell the game to NSW was unpopular in Victoria among fans and clubs, sparking a ‘social media frenzy’.
She said Agelopoulos had admitted to using alcohol and illegal drugs, but had since ended his “serious addiction to ice cream.”
Agelopoulos admitted to drinking alcohol and taking illegal drugs before the incident that shocked football fans across Australia
“You and your cohort have smeared the fabric of football in Australia,” she said.
“No doubt this will be a day you’ll be eager to take back… it will be remembered for the damage done to a sport you claim to love.”
Mr Dann argued that Ms Falla should issue a community correction order, in ‘parity’ with the sentence imposed on another key figure, Muhammed Varsan, 19.
The court was told that Varsan threw a flare on the ground, hit a guard in the back of the head and threw objects, including a flagpole, at police.
Around 120 to 150 Melbourne Victoria fans stormed the pitch after 20 minutes of the game on December 17 last year
Mr Dann claimed that Agelopoulos had become the face of the AAMI Park invasion and would ‘be forever known as Bucket Man’.
Melbourne Victory was fined a record $550,000 over the actions of their supporters, while 38 people, including at least one child, were charged over the incident.
Police and thousands of supporters later condemned the behavior during what was dubbed football’s ‘night of shame’.
Agelopoulos was granted bail and will appear in County Court in December for an appeal hearing.