By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
DANDENONG Thunder Soccer Club has been hit with massive ‘‘zero-tolerance’’ penalties after its supporters fired dangerous rocket flares at a grand final.
A Football Federation Victoria independent tribunal last night fined the club $40,000, locked out fans from the club’s first 10 home games and stripped away three championship points for next season.
The club had pleaded guilty to misconduct charges, being held strictly liable for supporters firing five flares — including three rocket-flares — during the Victorian Premier League grand final at AAMI Park on October 14.
The rocket-flares were fired by at least two Thunder supporters in the stadium’s upper tiers. One of the flares travelled more than 50 metres, punched a hole in an advertising sign and burnt two girls, aged 10 and 12, seated on ground-level.
The tribunal heard the 10-year-old suffered ‘‘residual burns’’ to the face, while the 12-year-old was struck on the shoulder and burnt on her arms. A venue controller told the tribunal the injuries were minor.
One of the hand-flung flares failed to ignite as it struck a Thunder player in the head.
Tribunal chairman Robert Seifman said the penalties reflected the club’s “unfortunate history’’ of misdemeanours, which have included spectators spitting at and abusing referees and firing flares in recent years. He said it was fortunate the two girls weren’t more seriously injured.
“The club doesn’t have one or two prior matters. It has numerous prior matters.
“It has to be understood that flares are unacceptable. It may not be entirely uncommon in Europe but it’s not tolerated in Australia.’’
A lawyer for the FFV had earlier submitted to the tribunal that relegating the club to state league 1 or the ‘‘amateurs’’ state league 2 next season would be a ‘‘reasonable sentencing option’’.
Mr Seifman said the club’s penalties were mitigated by its guilty plea, its efforts to identify the culprits and its co-operation with the police and FFV.
After the hearing, Thunder treasurer Burim Sulemani said the home-game lock-outs would deprive the club of its main revenue source – ticket and food sales of up to $100,000.
The $40,000 fine wiped out prizemoney earned from winning the 2012 premiership and knockout cups, he said.
“The financial punishment is extreme. It will seriously put into doubt how we will pay coaches and players.
“We once again condemn the firing of flares. We hope those who are responsible are brought to justice. Hopefully they realise the effect they’ve had on the club.’’
He said the culprits, if caught, would be banned from the club for life.
FFV general manager Tim Frampton said the penalties were ‘‘one of the highest in the past three years’’.
“It reflects the incidents were the most serious in the last three years. It reinforces the federation’s zero tolerance to antisocial behaviour.’’
The tribunal also banned Thunder supporter and former player Festim Zekiri from attending FFV fixtures for two years. He pleaded guilty to foul, abusive and insulting language towards the federation’s security advisor at the game.
Another supporter Vandim Ismali, who was at the game with his children, was fined $1000 for invading the pitch after a Thunder goal.
During the hearing, it was revealed that:
■ Thunder officials had volunteered names of two ‘‘persons of interest’’ to police. The club insisted it did not know the people concerned, nor were they members or ‘‘core supporters’’.
■ Club officials denied knowledge of a teenage supporter’s post on the Thunder’s Facebook site prior to the game, which read: ‘‘two flares sorted’’.
■ AAMI Park’s venue controller said there were only seven police on hand while flares were fired in the second half. The game had a ‘‘low risk rating’’. Up to 38 police attended the preceding A-League game at the venue that afternoon.
■ The venue controller said police command wouldn’t send its unarmed officers into the top tiers of the grandstand to hunt those launching flares.
■ The venue controller said he was confused by the first rocket flare fired – the first he had seen at the venue. He was scanning the wrong area for the culprit, having thought it was a hand-held flare. Fifteen minutes later, a second wave of flares were fired from the upper tiers.
■ The venue controller said security officers checked spectator bags, but didn’t perform pat-down checks. He conceded flares could easily be smuggled in spectator pockets or bras. “If you want to get [a flare] in, you’ll get it in,’’ he said.
■ Thunder officials claimed FFV had days earlier knocked back an offer for the club to use its own ‘crowd police’. They were told by the FFV the security matter was ‘‘in hand’’.
■ The venue controller said the injured girls had not been compensated but ‘‘we had them as guests for the next game’’.
