The Wellington Phoenix are investigating the actions of a small group of spectators at Sky Stadium on Friday night.
They entered the Melbourne Victory supporters’ bay during the top of the table A-League match, antagonised the visiting fans and threw cans before starting multiple physical altercations in second half stoppage time.
Phoenix general manager David Dome says they have zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour at their matches.
“These individuals are not welcome at Phoenix games and we will seek sanctions against them, including potentially banning them from the A-League if charges are proven,” Dome said.
“This would be an unprecedented step for the club. There currently aren’t any Phoenix fans who are on the league’s banned list.
“We are working with the police to identify the culprits.”
The club will also work with management Sky Stadium, who are responsible for venue security, to ensure there’s no repeat of the unruly scenes.
“I’d like to apologise to all of the Victory supporters who travelled across the Tasman for the match. We want a fun, family-friendly environment at our home games.
“Unfortunately the behaviour of a small number of people took away from what was a great occasion on Friday night.
“The majority of the crowd was amazing and helped inspire the team to score a stoppage time equaliser, after playing the entire second half with just 10 men.
“It was unquestionably one of the most dramatic games of the season and the atmosphere created by our fans was incredible, so it is very disappointing to have a small group of idiots engage in behaviour that no one else in the crowd wanted.
“Our fans, led by the Yellow Fever, have a great reputation throughout the league and this behaviour is not reflective of the relationship they have with other supporter groups.
“Victory and Nix supporters were mixing freely after the game so we know this was an isolated incident and not representative of our fans.”
