Melbourne Victory have been fined a record $550,000 by Football Australia following the pitch invasion that caused December's A-League Melbourne derby to be abandoned.

A 10-point suspended deduction has also been imposed on the club, along with restrictions on fan attendance at games, with Victory found to have brought the game into disrepute.

The December 17 game saw flares thrown by both sets of fans during the opening quarter at AAMI Park. Trouble escalated when a flare hit a pitchside cameraman before exploding, with City keeper Tom Glover throwing two flares off the field, one of which landed in the stands.

Fans behind the goal stormed the pitch at that point, and Glover was hit in the face with a metal bucket, while referee Alex King was also struck, leading to the game being brought to an end.

More than 30 people have been charged by Victoria Police, with fans now barred from sitting behind the goals in the North End of AAMI Park for the rest of the season, and no areas at away grounds will be allocated to away supporters for the same duration.

Football Australia (FA) warned in a statement: "The suspended 10-point deduction – ending at the end of the 2025-26 Isuzu UTE A-League season – may be triggered for each instance of serious supporter misconduct during this term and the next three campaigns."

FA said the derby game would resume on April 23 from the 22nd minute, the point at which it was abandoned, with City leading 1-0.

FA CEO James Johnson described the behaviour of the Victory fans who invaded the field as "inexcusable", saying it meant the club "committed a serious breach of our rules and regulations".

"The sanctions we have issued against Melbourne Victory are the heaviest in the A-League era," Johnson said. "These sanctions are reflective of our desire to remove this behaviour, and those that perpetuate it, from our game."

He added: "The field of play is sacred and the safety of our players and match officials is paramount. Those individuals that illegally entered the field of play, caused damage, and verbally and physically assaulted players and officials, crossed the line.

"We have worked closely with Victoria Police to identify these individuals and will continue to do so to ensure those that display anti-social and criminal behaviour at football events are not involved in our game in any way."

Melbourne Victory said they would "comply with all sanctions handed down by FA".

Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover has avoided a ban for his part in the violent pitch invasion that forced this month's derby against Melbourne Victory to be abandoned.

The A-League clash between Victory and City on December 17 saw flares thrown by both sets of fans during the opening quarter of the game at AAMI Park.

Trouble escalated when a flare hit a pitchside cameraman before exploding, with City keeper Glover throwing two flares off the field, one of which landed in the stands.

Fans behind the goal stormed the pitch and Glover was hit in the face with a metal bucket, while referee Alex King was also struck, leading to the game being brought to an end.

Three men have subsequently been charged by Victoria Police, while an independent match review panel (MRP) was tasked with determining if Glover deserved to be punished.

After reviewing the match footage and consulting referee King's match report, it was announced on Tuesday that no further action will be taken against Glover.

King confirmed in his report that he saw the incident involving Glover and he did not in any way feel the 25-year-old intentionally meant to throw a flare into the stands.

"Since the independent MRP was satisfied that the incident had not escaped the referee's attention, the MRP did not proceed to consider whether Glover should have been sanctioned with a direct red card," a Football Australia (FA) spokesperson said.

"Accordingly, the MRP has not cited the incident pursuant to the regulations."

Glover was therefore cleared to play for City in Tuesday's A-League encounter with Central Coast Mariners.

Victory were last week hit with a range of attendance-related sanctions by FA, with the club unable to sell tickets for any game up to and including January 15.

Additionally, the "active supporter bays" at both ends of AAMI Park are to be shut, and Victory fans will be unable to attend away games unless they appear on a pre-approved FA list of individuals who can qualify for complimentary tickets, though there will only be 1,000 of those available.

Even more significant punishments are still expected to be dished out to Victory, with FA adding "no determination regarding the final sanctions" had been made yet, with potential fines or points deductions reportedly on the table.

Melbourne Victory have been hit with a range of attendance-related sanctions following their fans' pitch invasion during Saturday's Melbourne derby, though more penalties are to come.

Football Australia's (FA) sanctioning of the club began on Friday with the announcement of restrictions over attendances at all Victory games until January 15 inclusive.

The club will be unable to sell tickets, with only members able to attend the matches.

Additionally, the "active supporter bays" at both ends of AAMI Park are to be shut, and Victory fans will be unable to attend away games unless they appear on a pre-approved FA list of individuals who can qualify for complimentary tickets, though there will only be 1,000 of those available.

Even more significant punishments are still expected to be dished out to Victory, however, with FA adding "no determination regarding the final sanctions" had been made yet, with potential fines or points deductions reportedly on the table.

But FA hoped the imposition of initial punishments would give peace of mind to stakeholders in the short term.

A statement read: "As part of Football Australia's ongoing investigation into the events that unfolded during the A-League Men's match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Saturday, December 17, the governing body has [Friday] confirmed that a number of sanctions are being imposed on Melbourne Victory FC for their continued participation in the A-League Men's competition whilst the show cause process continues.

"As the regulator of the A-Leagues, Football Australia considers these sanctions are necessary to give immediate confidence to the fans and participants in this interim period."

The A-League clash between Victory and Melbourne City saw flares thrown by both sets of fans during the opening quarter of the contest at AAMI Park.

Trouble escalated when a flare appeared to hit a pitchside cameraman before exploding, with City goalkeeper Tom Glover throwing another flare back into the crowd.

Fans behind the goal stormed the pitch and Glover was hit in the face with a metal bucket, while referee Alex King was also struck, leading to the game being brought to an end.

Three men were charged for attacking Glover, and FA chief James Johnson vowed to impose the "harshest of punishments" in response.

Johnson is confident FA's action on Friday will help to prevent a repeat ever occurring.

He added: "These sanctions come into immediate effect starting with Melbourne Victory's A-League Men's match on Boxing Day away to Western United, and follow the sanctions issued against individuals earlier this week as part of a package of sanctions in response to the incidents witnessed at the Melbourne derby last weekend.

"These measures are an essential step for Football Australia, as it considers further sporting and financial sanctions that may apply to Melbourne Victory in the show cause determination process.

"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 and that any unacceptable behaviour by spectators are not repeated at any football match or event ever again. We believe these measures will achieve this."

Three men have been charged by Victoria Police following the violent pitch invasion that forced Saturday's Melbourne derby to be abandoned.

The A-League clash between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City saw flares thrown by both sets of fans during the opening quarter of the contest at AAMI Park.

Trouble escalated when a flare appeared to hit a pitchside cameraman before exploding, with City goalkeeper Tom Glover throwing another flare back into the crowd.

Fans behind the goal stormed the pitch and Glover was hit in the face with a metal bucket, while referee Alex King was also struck, leading to the game being abandoned.

Football Australia chief James Johnson hit out at the "horrific" scenes and vowed to hand out the "harshest of punishments" to those involved.

Victoria Police confirmed on Monday that a 23-year-old has been arrested in relation to allegedly striking Glover with the sand-filled bucket.

The other two men are aged 18 and 19, with their charges relating to separate alleged assaults on Glover. The 19-year-old is also accused of assaulting a security guard.

All three men self-presented to police stations on Monday and have subsequently been bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on February 27.

"The charges come as detectives from the north west metro regional crime squad continue to investigate the entire incident as part of Operation Astute," said a police statement.

"More than 150 football fans ran on to the field during Saturday night's match after a significant number of flares were ignited and thrown through the crowd."

The charges come on the back of Glover, who was left with a cut to the side of his face and concussed, discussing the unsavoury scenes for the first time.

"I think it is very disappointing for Australian football in general," he told the Nine Network. "I'm okay. I can't train today because of protocols but I'll be back on the pitch tomorrow.

"The Socceroos (Australia men's national side) were on a high and we were kind of riding the wave of that. It was just a small minority which kind of ruins it.

Glover added that his "intentions were never to throw [the flare]" into the crowd, an incident that is being fully investigated by Football Australia and may lead to sanctions.

"The police are doing their thing. It's just getting back on the pitch and being ready for next week," he added. "Police will be chasing that up so it's kind of out of my control.

"Sanctions are out of my control. My main focus is helping Australian football go in the right direction and not giving it a bad light."

Football Australia (FA) chief James Johnson was "horrified" at the scenes from Saturday's Melbourne derby pitch invasion and is ready to hand out the "harshest of punishments" for those involved.

Saturday's game at AAMI Park between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City saw flares thrown by both sets of fans during the first 22 minutes, before trouble escalated when a flare appeared to hit a pitch-side cameraman before exploding.

City goalkeeper Tom Glover threw another flare back into the crowd, inflaming the situation, before fans behind the goal stormed the pitch, with Glover being hit in the face with a metal bin that had been used for other flares. Referee Alex King was also caught up in the incident, before taking the two teams off the pitch, with the game later abandoned amid unruly scenes.

Glover was left bloodied with a cut to the right side of his face, with City stating he had been concussed from the incident.

"I'll start with saying that I'm horrified, I'm irritated, I'm angry at the scenes witnessed at AAMI Park last night," Johnson told reporters on Sunday. "A full investigation will take place and those responsible will face the harshest of punishments."

The ground invasion comes amid rising tensions between administrators and fans in Australian football following the Australian Premier Leagues' decision to sell the men's and women's A-Leagues grand finals the rights to their grand finals to the New South Wales government, having previously been hosted by the highest-ranked team.

Johnson said the fans who ran onto the AAMI Park pitch were an unwanted "element" in the game, insisting the code was "safe" in Australia.

The FA boss strongly condemned their behaviour and made clear that heavy sanctions would be forthcoming.

"We will be moving swiftly and we will be taking the strongest sanctions that are available," Johnson said. "This is an element that goes beyond football, it’s an element that infiltrates our game, and that really tried to ruin it for the two million people who love our sport. It's those people that we will be targeting in this investigation and who we will weed out of the sport.

"There is no justification for the behaviour we saw last night. I don't care about people that think the decision for the GF is wrong or right. Anyone who thinks that justifies behaviour is completely out of touch.

"People that behave like this, I don't call them fans and I won't call them fans. What is important is our response – that is simple, there is no place in our sport for that behaviour and people that act like that will be weeded out and weeded out quickly."

Several other fan groups held "peaceful protests" about the grand final decision at the 20th-minute mark at A-League games across the competition over the weekend.

Johnson added: "Football is very safe. Two million people play it week in, week out. We saw in all the other A-League games that were played over the weekend, peaceful protests, and that’s OK – fans have are OK to express their views in a peaceful way.

"The way that some individuals conducted themselves at the Melbourne Victory game is not acceptable, and I think that is specific to that match.

"I don’t think that it is a reflection on the broader game. We're the biggest sport country in terms of participants. This does not happen in local football. It doesn’t happen at national team level. It doesn’t happen at the NPL level, and it hasn’t happened in the other A-League games.

"I don't think though that a group of individuals that participated in unacceptable behaviour in one match is a reflection of how the broader sport is.

"The small group of people, the 100-150 odd people that invaded the pitch, they need to be the target, not the broader sport. We will be targeting those individuals and ensuring that they no longer participate in our sport."

Johnson said the FA would work with the Australian Premier Leagues (APL), who run the A-Leagues, on appropriate sanctions for Victory, whose fans flooded the pitch.

Victory managing director Caroline Carnegie also strongly condemned the fan behaviour when speaking to reporters on Sunday, insisting it "has no place at our club".

Football Australia promised it would impose "strong sanctions" after a violent pitch invasion by supporters saw the A-League Men derby between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory abandoned.

The game at AAMI Park saw flares thrown by both sets of fans during the first 22 minutes, before trouble escalated when a flare seemed to hit a pitch-side cameraman before exploding, while City goalkeeper Tom Glover threw another flare back into the crowd.

This led to many fans storming the pitch, with Glover being hit in the face with a metal bin that had been used for other flares. His club later said the 24-year-old "likely has a concussion" and was being treated by medical staff.

Football Australia was dismayed by what it called "shocking scenes", saying the match officials had rightly abandoned the game, while Melbourne Victory said the club were "devastated" and condemned the actions of their supporters.

In a statement, Football Australia said: "Such behaviour has no place in Australian football, with a full Football Australia investigation to commence immediately, where strong sanctions will be handed down."

The Australian Professional League (APL) said referee Alex King had also been injured in the melee.

The referee was standing next to Glover as fans poured onto the pitch from behind the goal and was covered in ash as smoke filled the air, before he took the players off the pitch.

Melbourne Victory said the behaviour of the club's supporters was "not acceptable under any circumstance" and apologised to Glover, King and the cameraman.

The club said: "Tonight, Melbourne Victory Football Club is devastated. The club unequivocally condemns the actions of fans at Saturday night's match against Melbourne City at AAMI Park.

"The actions that occurred, that saw spectators enter the pitch and injure a Melbourne City FC player, an official and a Network Ten cameraman, are not acceptable under any circumstance and have no place in football.

"The security and welfare of everyone involved in a football match is paramount and the club will not accept this behaviour.

"The club would like to formally apologise to Tom Glover, match official Alex King and the camera operator as well as all players, officials and those who witnessed the appalling behaviour.

"This conduct will not be tolerated and the club, along with AAMI Park and Victoria Police, will undertake a full investigation into the incident.

"Melbourne Victory would like to reiterate there is no place in football for what was witnessed tonight."

The game was played against the backdrop of fan protests earlier in the week after both the men's and women's A-Leagues announced the sale of the rights to their grand finals to the New South Wales government.

Both finals will be played in Sydney for the next three years after a deal reported to be worth eight figures was reached, with several prominent individuals involved in Australian football speaking out against the move away from the tradition of the highest-placed team hosting the game.

A pitch invasion from fans caused the abandonment of the Melbourne derby and saw goalkeeper Tom Glover being struck in the face with a bin.

The A-League Men's clash between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory had already seen flares thrown by both sets of fans during the first 22 minutes, before things escalated.

With hosts City 1-0 up at AAMI Park thanks to an 11th-minute goal from Aiden O'Neill, a flare seemed to hit a pitch-side cameraman before exploding, while City shot stopper Glover threw another flare back into the crowd.

This led to a number of fans storming the pitch, with Glover being hit in the face with a metal bin that had been used for other flares. The club later said the 24-year-old "likely has a concussion".

The referee had been stood next to Glover and was covered in ash, before taking the players off the pitch, with the game later being abandoned.

There had already been fan protests earlier this week after both the men's and women's A-Leagues announced the sale of the rights to their grand finals to the New South Wales government.

Both finals will be played in Sydney for the next three years after a deal reported to be worth eight figures was reached, with several prominent individuals involved in Australian football speaking out against the move away from the tradition of the highest-placed team hosting the game.

Protests also took place at other A-League games, including Central Coast Mariners fans leaving just 20 minutes into their clash with Sydney FC, while Newcastle Jets supporters also left during the first half of their match against Brisbane Roar.

APL chief executive Danny Townsend, who has come under fire for the decision, described the deal as "a unique opportunity" for a week-long "festival of football" around the men's and women's grand finals.

Nani outlined his intention to give Melbourne Victory supporters "a beautiful night" as the derby against Melbourne City arrives on Saturday.

Portuguese winger Nani has experienced derbies in some of the world's great football cities, having played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Lazio and Fenerbahce during an illustrious career.

Now an A-League derby awaits the 35-year-old, and he says the occasion will be comparable to his previous experiences of gunning for local bragging rights.

"A derby is a derby. You need to take it the way it is, you need to win," Nani said.

"Derbies are there to win, not to lose, because if you lose, it is the worst day of your life. You cannot go out. I don't feel in the mood to walk around, and you know you feel the shame.

"This is a moment of pride, so you want to give your fans a beautiful night, special feelings, and make them feel we are the best in the country."

Nani said hosts Victory will need to put in an almighty effort to earn all three points in front of a sell-out crowd at AAMI Park.

"We know it's a tough game," he said. "They are a strong opponent as well, so to win we need to give everything we've got and let's wait for the game and see what we can do."

Victory began the season with a 3-2 win over Sydney FC, before falling 1-0 to Western City Wanderers last week.

Last season saw Victory finish one point behind their neighbours, who topped the table in the regular season. Melbourne City then went on to lose to Western United in the Grand Final.

Melbourne City have begun this campaign with two wins, an early indication they should be challengers again.

Nani sees Victory as underdogs this weekend, saying Melbourne City "have a fantastic squad".

"I think probably they've been showing they're better than us on the field, the way they've been performing," Nani said. "So, it will be very tough for us. We need to be a compact team, we need to work very hard, and then try our best to beat them."

At the age of 35, Nani says he is putting in the hours to get in the best possible shape for his latest career challenge in Australia.

Asked if he might produce one of his famous backflips should he grab a derby goal, Nani said: "Yeah, why not? Let's see. I let the environment and the moment make the decision. So, what comes in the brain, we will do."

Nathaniel Atkinson's late strike gave Melbourne City a 1-0 victory over Perth Glory at AAMI Park on Wednesday.

Defending champions City, smarting from a first defeat of the A-League season at the hands of Western United, dominated the game but Glory goalkeeper Cameron Cook denied them time and again.

Atkinson finally broke the deadlock in the 88th minute, nodding home from close range after Connor Metcalfe timed his run to perfection and headed into the substitute's path.

Melbourne had 23 attempts and thought they had opened the scoring in the first half, but Andrew Nabbout's deflected strike was ruled out for offside.

While Melbourne will point to their domination of the game, Atkinson's winner was a cruel blow for Cook, who made six saves.

Victory for Patrick Kisnorbo's side moved them up to second place, with Perth sitting into sixth spot after four matches.

Sydney FC surrendered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Newcastle Jets on Saturday and prolong their winless start to the season.

The 2020 champions looked in control against a side they had beaten nine times in 12 previous home games, Adam Le Fondre opening the scoring from the penalty spot before cleverly setting up Elvis Kamsoba for a 2-0 half-time lead.

However, Valentino Yuel puled a goal back before the hour mark and struck again seven minutes later, firing high into the net after a strong run into the box.

Le Fondre thought he had scored a winner 13 minutes from time only for VAR to intervene due to an offside in the build-up.

While Sydney remain without a win in three games, reigning champions Melbourne City have fared little better, losing 1-0 at home to Western United on matchday three.

Dylan Wenzel-Halls followed up his winner over Perth Glory on November 26 with the only goal of the game at AAMI Park, firing home after being played in by Alessandro Diamanti.

Adelaide United drew for the third game in a row as Brisbane Roar claimed their first point of the season, with six saves from visiting goalkeeper James Delianov ensuring a goalless draw at Moreton Daily Stadium.

A-League champions Melbourne City threw a two-goal lead away to draw 2-2 away at Adelaide United in their second game of the season.

City kicked their title defence off with a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar in their opening match and looked set to make it two wins from two after goals from Jamie Maclaren and Andrew Nabbout gave them a 2-0 advantage after 61 minutes.

However, Adelaide struck twice in the closing stages, with Stefan Mauk halving the deficit before Ben Halloran grabbed a dramatic 90th-minute equaliser to stun City.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Sydney, who finished just two points behind City in second last season, slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Macarthur at home after an early Lachlan Rose strike.

Macarthur are now level on points with table-topping City and Wellington Phoenix, who beat Central Coast Mariners 2-1, but are behind the pair on goals scored and sit third.

Gary Hooper scored for the second game running for the Phoenix in their home clash with the Mariners, who pulled one back through Marco Urena before Jaushua Sotirio fired in the winner.

The Nix are now unbeaten in 13 matches stretching back into last season and face Western Sydney Wanderers in their next game.

Curtis Good and Connor Metcalfe were on target as Melbourne City started the defence of their A-League title with a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar.

City were crowned champions for the first time in June and Patrick Kisnorbo started the 2021-22 campaign by securing all three points at AAMI Park on Friday.

Good set them on their way to victory when he was on hand to apply the finish after Jamie Maclaren's strike was saved by Macklin Freke.

Metcalfe doubled their lead only three minutes later, beating Freke with a deflected left-foot drive from just inside the penalty area when he was afforded too much time to let fly.

Brisbane had to regroup at the break and they pulled a goal back when Luke Ivanovic opened his account for the club by with a powerful close-range header after captain Jay O'Shea picked him out.

The Roar were unable to salvage a point as they suffered a sense of deja vu, having also lost to City in their first match of the 2020-21 campaign.

Melbourne City gained revenge over 10-man Sydney FC with a 3-1 Grand Final victory to claim a first A-League title at AAMI Park on Sunday.

City were beaten by the Sky Blues in the Grand Final last year, but Patrick Kisnorbo's side were not to be denied this time around as they completed a Premiership-Championship double.

Kosta Barbarouses put the defending champions in front, but Nathaniel Atkinson equalised soon after and Sydney were rocked by Luke Brattan's first-half dismissal for a second bookable offence.

Scott Jamieson's penalty put Melbourne in front on the stroke of half-time and Scott Galloway sealed the victory in stoppage time at the end of a dramatic final, with Sydney unable to become the first team to win three successive titles.

After going 10 seasons without lifting a trophy, Melbourne have claimed two in the space of five weeks.

The defending champions drew first blood against the run of play with 21 minutes played, Barbarouses rifling into the bottom-left corner of the net with his right foot from just outside the penalty area on the counter-attack.

City were level just a couple of minutes later, though, Atkinson firing into the top-right corner following an incisive run from Stefan Colakovski.

The Sky Blues suffered a huge blow 10 minutes before the break as Brattan was given his marching orders by referee Chris Beath for a challenge on Marco Tilio.

Sydney felt aggrieved once again when Beath pointed to the spot after Adrian Luna went down seemingly following minimal contact from Anthony Caceres, with Jamieson sending Thomas Heward-Belle from the spot on the stroke of half-time,

Melbourne applied huge pressure in the second half but the third goal proved to be elusive until Galloway found the back of the net with his left foot with time almost up.

Melbourne City scored twice inside two minutes in the second half to overcome Macarthur 2-0 and set an A-League Grand Final rerun against reigning champions Sydney FC.

After a goalless first 45 minutes at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium – the alternative venue for the fixture due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne – City suddenly seized control of the contest.

Marco Tilio created space out wide to send over a low cross that Stefan Colakovski converted at the near post in the 54th minute.

Macarthur came into the game on a five-match unbeaten away run but fell further behind when the same pairing helped Melbourne double their advantage.

Colakovski was the provider second time around, latching onto a long ball before squaring a pass across for the supporting Tilio to finish beyond goalkeeper Adam Federici.

At 19 years and 301 days, teenager Tilio becomes the third-youngest player to score in a semi-final in the competition, behind only Riley McGree and Mitch Nichols.

Sydney had booked a return ticket to the Grand Final on Saturday, edging out Adelaide United 2-1 thanks to first-half goals from Adam Le Fondre and Bobo. They won the title in 2020 thanks to an extra-time winner from Rhyan Grant.

A-League premiers Melbourne City suffered a shock late defeat in their final game of the regular season as Newcastle Jets emerged 2-1 victors to move off the foot of the table, with a historic goal for Archie Goodwin among the highlights.

It looked as though City – winners of the season's first phase – were going to coast to their 16th A-League victory of the season when Stefan Colakovski turned in Adrian Luna's low cross in the ninth minute.

However, Goodwin levelled in some style 14 minutes later, collecting a backheeled pass from Lucas Mauragis before nonchalantly curling a stunning 25-yard strike into the far side of the net.

In doing so, Goodwin – aged 16 years and 215 days – became the club's youngest-ever A-League scorer, and second only to Mohamed Toure (15y, 325d) in the competition's history.

The Jets then completed the turnaround with a minute of regulation time to go, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos – who came on for Goodwin – meeting Mauragis' teasing free-kick delivery with a glancing header that found the bottom-left corner.

Jack Duncan in the Jets' net then had to be alert to keep out Nathaniel Atkinson's close-range effort a few seconds after the restart, thus clinching a result that ensured Craig Deans' men moved off the bottom of the table, with Melbourne Victory taking their place.

City finish top regardless, two points clear of Sydney FC, and now turn their attention towards the semi-finals on June 20, where they await the lowest-ranked winner of the elimination-finals.