Sports

Attack on goalkeeper leads to soccer match being abandoned in Australia

Published

2 years ago

December 18, 2022

An A-League soccer match between rivals Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory was abandoned Saturday after fans invaded the field and attacked City goalkeeper Tom Glover.

Video on social media shows a fan throwing a metal bucket with a white substance at Glover, who was taken off the field dazed and bleeding. Team officials said he had sustained a possible concussion but there was no immediate word on his condition.

Match referee Alex King was also injured, sustaining a head cut in the same incident.

Fans from the Melbourne Victory area of the stadium rushed the pitch just after the 20-minute mark of the game at AAMI Stadium. City led 1-0 when the match was stopped.

Unacceptable scenes during the Melbourne Derby this morning! <br><br>The game was abandoned after 20 minutes. <br><br>We hope goalkeeper Tom Glover is okay and recovering after being hit by a fan with a flare bucket! <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/melbournederby?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#melbournederby</a> ????????<a href=”https://t.co/AHFh0sRfcY”>pic.twitter.com/AHFh0sRfcY</a>

—@FootballMadUK

“Following shocking scenes during the first half of the A-League men’s match between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City … where fans from the Melbourne Victory FC end entered the field of play, Football Australia match officials have abandoned the match … in order to protect the integrity of the match,” a Football Australia statement said.

“Such behaviour has no place in Australian football, with a full Football Australia investigation to commence immediately,” with “strong sanctions to be handed down.”

There had been a tense atmosphere to start the match with both sets of fans planning to leave the game at the 20-minute mark as part of a protest toward the Australian Professional Leagues, which had recently awarded the next three grand final matches to Sydney in a deal with the New South Wales state government.

Both sets of fans started derogatory chants immediately after the preceding A-League Women’s game finished. Victory and City fans also unfurled banners, referring to their displeasure with the APL and its decision on the championship matches.

Both sets of fans had been throwing flares on the field but the situation escalated when a flare appeared to hit a television cameraman. Glover later picked up another flare off the ground and threw it back into the stands.

Fans then rushed the pitch and Glover was struck by the metal bucket, which is used to dispose of flares. Glover started bleeding from a head wound and was taken from the field, along with players from both teams.

Former Australia goalkeeper Danny Vukovic said on Twitter: “Our game is in tatters … an absolute disgrace what happened tonight. Irreparable damage done. Darkest day for football in Australia.”

Our game is in tatters. An absolute disgrace what happened tonight. Cannot believe we are here after such an amazing WC and so much potential to see our game grow. Irreparable damage done. Darkest day for football in Australia.

—@vuka20

The incident came two weeks after Australia advanced to the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar before losing 2-1 to Argentina.

Veteran Australia soccer journalist Ray Gatt replied to a comment on Twitter by saying: “As a football writer I covered Australian soccer for over 40 years and have seen many highs and crippling lows. This is the lowest of the lows. So very sad.”

Source link

Sports

Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

Published

16 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.

The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.

He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.

The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.

Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.

“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”

Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

Source link

Sports

Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

Published

23 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.

Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.

The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.

In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.

Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.

Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.

Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.

It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.

Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.

FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.

And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.

“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

Source link

Sports

Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.

The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.

The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.

Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.

The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.

Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

Source link