Links have been established between the alleged A-League pitch invaders that attacked Tom Glover and a banned football gang.
The Melbourne Derby between Victory and City on the weekend had to be abandoned after fans rushed the pitch.
City goalkeeper Tom Glover had thrown a flare back into the crowd after it had been projected onto the pitch.
Victory fans subsequently rushed the pitch with one throwing a steel bucket at the young goalkeeper whilst also attacking the official and a cameraman.
The Herald Sun reports that photos released by police of perpetrators they would like to speak to show links to Melbourne Victory extremist groups that have previously been shut down.
Advert
Among the pitch invaders, many were seen with clothing with links to older ultra-supporter groups.
The publications identify the groups as Horda, M3 and Nomadi.
Horda was previously a part of the Northern Terrace Collective (NTC), an alliance of active supporter groups known for sitting behind the Northern Terrace of Marvel Stadium.
The NTC broke down after Melbourne Victory made it impossible for the group to assemble in large numbers at the games.
The A-League club had also banned any banners that had shown support for the Horda organisation.
A new active supporter group by the name of Original Style Melbourne have since made a statement admitting fault for failing to stop the pitch invasion.
They wrote: “Our protest yesterday was intended to unite all fans.
“A vital element of the campaign against the APL decision, was that the walkout and protest remained peaceful, so as not to take away and distract from our argument.
“OSM leadership fully understand the genuine sadness, anger and frustration at what happened last night. The events which transpired, although uncontrollable, happened under our watch, and we take full responsibility for that.”
Fans across the A-League had planned a peaceful walkout protest in the 20th minute of fixtures on the weekend.
It was to serve as a response to the APL selling the rights to the A-League grand final to Sydney for the next three years.
Instead, a minority of Victory fans stormed the pitch and caused injuries to Glover, referee Alex King, and a cameraman.
Three men have since come forward and handed themselves in to the police and been charged for the incident.
Jayden Collins