By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Dandenong Thunder and its fans have been cleared by a Football Victoria tribunal (FV) from any involvement in a violent crowd melee in June.
In findings released on 15 July, Thunder and its opponent Altona Magic were found not guilty of misconduct at an NPL Victoria game at Paisley Park, Altona North.
The tribunal instead found three North Sunshine Eagles Soccer Club fans guilty of violent misconduct.
It issued a life ban to one of the accused spectators Besnik Kutleshi, and two-year bans to Arsim Kutleshi and George Briskovic.
Video footage at the game showed punching and stomping among the large brawl, as well as spitting and shouting at players over the sideline fence.
Up to five security guards were required to calm the scene and escort spectators out of the stadium. Police were also called to the scene.
The accused trio were instructed not to give evidence due to an ongoing police investigation into the incident, the three-person tribunal reported.
It also slapped a $10,000 suspended fine on the Eagles, which was not playing at the venue at the time.
The fine was suspended due to the club’s co-operation, the tribunal report stated.
In a statement, Football Victoria reiterated that Thunder was found not to be involved, contrary to claims made during its official live stream commentary at the time.
“Accordingly (we) want to correct the NPL Victoria live stream broadcast suggesting any involvement.”
Thunder president Ronnie Mustafai said the finding was a “great relief” after a nervous month’s wait since the 15 June match.
“We were pretty nervous waiting to see what was going to happen.
“The main thing is the club’s name has been cleared.”
He said the club had been “tarnished” by the live commentary at the time, which went viral in subsequent days.
“The moment our sponsors, parents, players see it on the news and social media they think ‘OK it’s Dandenong Thunder’.
“That was pretty upsetting to us.”
Mr Mustafai said the club had worked hard to build a supporter culture around respect for the game and the opposition.
“We aim to make it a family-friendly environment, for them to just enjoy the game.”
Soon after the match, both Dandenong and Altona clubs were quick to deny their supporters’ involvement.
Their assertions were backed up by tribunal evidence from four match officials identifying the North Sunshine fans.
