Latest news with #AAMIpark
News.com.au
a day ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Secret Matildas star Sam Kerr was keeping from everyone revealed
Sam Kerr had been trying to keep it under wraps, but the Matildas skipper's big secret has been uncovered. The 31-year-old has suffered a setback on her road to recovery from an ACL injury and has undergone more surgery. While it's believed the latest under the knife operation wasn't related to the torn ACL, the news means football fans will have to wait longer to see her return to the pitch. On Monday the Matildas unveiled their new coach, Joe Montemurro, following an extensive search after Tony Gustavsson stepped down. During his introductory press conference however, Montemurro lifted the lid on Kerr's setback but kept his cards close to the chest on the actual issue. 'Look, I think there was some complications and I've only caught up with the scenario in the last 24 hours,' he told 10 News. 'There was a subsequent intervention, but I do believe she is now back running. 'I think it was something completely different (to the existing knee injury). I think the knee is fine. 'I think there was some other issues, but again I've only been briefed in the last 24 hours.' The news comes after Kerr was spotted in the stands attending the women's A-League Grand Final in May. The Matildas captain opted to watch the contest at AAMI Park in Melbourne alongside the Matildas' chief physiotherapist, instead of supporting her club side Chelsea as they lifted the FA Cup. While her decision raised eyebrows among fans, Montemurro's revelation could explain why Kerr was back in Australia. Montemurro said being appointed Matildas coach – at least until the 2028 Olympics – was the 'honour of a lifetime', but leaving French outfit Lyon, one of the world's most prominent clubs in women's football, after just one season was 'difficult'. 'Lyon's an amazing club. I had an amazing season there, and obviously the situation was to continue the process, but I assessed a few things,' he said. 'I said to myself, and my wife and family, that this is now an exciting cycle for the Matildas, (with) the Asian Cup, (the 2027) World Cup, (the 2028) Olympic Games, and the opportunity was too good, plus there was something inside of me that was just telling me 'it's time'. 'I had to make a hard decision, a very difficult decision, but I believe the decision is the right one. 'This team means so much to so many Australians, and I'm humbled by the opportunity to help shape its next chapter.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Police stand firm on show of force at soccer final after flares thrown at cops ahead of A-League's clash
Police are making no apologies for a heavy handed approach around the A-League grand final, after one officer was hospitalised and flares were thrown at the crowd and police. Heavily armed officers, riot police and the mounted branch were part of a visible show of force from Victoria Police for the match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Saturday night. Police reported a generally positive atmosphere at the match with 11 evictions, four penalty notices and one arrest for an alleged assault on a security guard. Despite good behaviour inside AAMI Park, CBD Acting Commander Zorka Dunstan said incidents before the match in nearby Swan Street involved supporters throwing flares at police, and into the crowd, as they marched to the venue. Over 20 flares were set off before the match, and six within AAMI Park. One police officer was taken to hospital after he was kicked by an unknown offender in Swan Street, requiring his jaw to be glued back together. That matter is still being investigated. Commander Dunstan said police efforts were bolstered ahead of the match because of past experience and other intelligence. 'We were expecting concerning behaviours, and we were pleased to see that the vast majority of people were acting fantastically,' the senior officer told reporters on Sunday. 'Only a couple of months so we had an affray between these active supporter groups - that's concerning for us, and we have an obligation to respond.' Victorian police minister Anthony Carbines said A-League Grand Finals sometimes had a history of being 'troubled'. 'I make no apologies for having a very strong police presence,' Mr Carbines said on Sunday. 'Past behaviour is often an indicator of future behaviour, and while the main behaviour was good, there will always be incidents.' Melbourne City beat Melbourne Victory 1-0 in a scrappy win in the first ever Melbourne derby grand final. The crowd of 29,902 was a sporting record crowd at the venue. The league and both clubs have been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police stand firm on show of force at soccer final
Police are making no apologies for a heavy handed approach around the A-League grand final, after one officer was hospitalised and flares were thrown at the crowd. Heavily armed officers, riot police and the mounted branch were part of a visible show of force from Victoria Police for the match between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Saturday night. Police reported a generally positive atmosphere at the match with 11 evictions, four penalty notices and one arrest for an alleged assault on a security guard. Despite good behaviour inside AAMI Park, CBD Acting Commander Zorka Dunstan said incidents before the match in nearby Swan Street involved supporters throwing flares at police, and into the crowd, as they marched to the venue. Over 20 flares were set off before the match, and six within AAMI Park. One police officer was taken to hospital after he was kicked by an unknown offender in Swan Street, requiring his jaw to be glued back together. That matter is still being investigated. Commander Dunstan said police efforts were bolstered ahead of the match because of past experience and other intelligence. "We were expecting concerning behaviours, and we were pleased to see that the vast majority of people were acting fantastically," the senior officer told reporters on Sunday. "Only a couple of months so we had an affray between these active supporter groups - that's concerning for us, and we have an obligation to respond." Victorian police minister Anthony Carbines said A-League Grand Finals sometimes had a history of being "troubled". "I make no apologies for having a very strong police presence," Mr Carbines said on Sunday. "Past behaviour is often an indicator of future behaviour, and while the main behaviour was good, there will always be incidents." Melbourne City beat Melbourne Victory 1-0 in a scrappy win in the first ever Melbourne derby grand final. The crowd of 29,902 was a sporting record crowd at the venue. The league and both clubs have been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Melbourne City face up to winning ugly to end run of A-League near misses
Despair for one side of Melbourne, jubilation for the other. It was 5 May 2024 and after a heroic performance from keeper Paul Izzo, Melbourne Victory had just eliminated Melbourne City from the A-League Men finals after a dramatic penalty shootout. Illustrative of the high standards set, it capped off the worst season City had experienced in recent times, scraping into the playoffs after sacking coach Rado Vidošić just two weeks into the campaign and failing to reach the grand final for the first time in five years. A host of club legends would soon depart amid league-wide cuts to distributions and budgets. It almost felt like the recession the club needed to have. But the bear is gone, and the bull is back. As referee Adam Kersey's whistle rang out for the final time in front of a record crowd at AAMI Park and players sank to their knees in joyous celebration in front of him, coach Aurelio Vidmar was wrapped in a bear hug by his director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Scott Jamieson and Paul Pezos. City had sealed a 1-0 triumph over Victory on Saturday night to become champions of Australia for the second time. Advertisement Related: Melbourne City clinch championship with fiery A-League Men grand final win over Victory Joe Marston medallist as best despite finishing the game in being a bloody mess, Mat Leckie's performance was not only of the legacy-defining variety but also reflective of the way his side went about returning to the mountain top. It hadn't been pretty in the slightest, but it had been effective. Physicality and desperation added to a cunning ability to ride the whistle and slow the game down and disrupt their opponents' flow. It ensured that Yonatan Cohen's 10th-minute goal was all that would be needed, Victory failing to produce much in the way of anything that would constitute a major threat to Patrick Beah's goal. Losing four of the previous five deciders they had reached – lowlighted by a 6-1 hammering by Central Coast Mariners in their last trip to this stage – men's grand finals hadn't been kind to City over the years. But this was different. The top-level talent might not be the same as in previous campaigns but in its place is a trusted if unheralded depth. Vidmar backed 17-year-old Medin Memeti with 24 minutes off the bench in the decider as he replaced 19-year-old Max Caputo, and City carried a level of steel and leadership that didn't allow them to blink under the bright lights as they had done in the past. A year ago, Vidmar told the media after the shootout loss that he was set to come back next season, signing a two-year contract extension after initially arriving as a caretaker. Much of the club's fan base wasn't impressed. After years of swashbuckling, high-scoring football, there was a feeling Vidmar's less spectacular approach would neither deliver them the ruthless drive nor the success they craved. This sense of frustration was only exacerbated when former coach Patrick Kisnorbo landed back in Melbourne not at the helm of City but, instead, at Victory. Advertisement But not only did Victory's gamble on Kisnorbo soon blow up in their faces when he left for Japan in December – Arthur Diles' late-season resurgence sparing the club plenty of blushes – City would go on to finish second and qualify for Asia under Vidmar, fielding the most miserly defence in the league. Entrusting the dressing room to leaders such as Aziz Behich – the move to loan the skipper to Al Nassr last season, in hindsight, a heavy blow to City's hopes – Leckie, Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo, the squad pulled in the same direction more as the season went on. 'Despite people thinking you don't do a worldwide search, we have the capability of doing that within the [City Football Group],' said Petrillo. 'Aurelio's numbers came up really high in the data that we had. 'He had a lot of things to contend with last year. He inherited a side with probably not quite the right mentality. And we made some wholesale changes at the end – some of them were made for us. But I knew, working with him, I could see where we were going.' Related: Melbourne City defeat Melbourne Victory in A-League Men grand final – as it happened Indeed, difficult as it may be to imagine, given he's got a stand at Hindmarsh Stadium named in his honour, Vidmar's contribution to Australian football is perhaps underappreciated in the broader footballing public. the 58-year-old is one of the best players ever produced by the country and one of the most talented to ever pull on a Socceroos shirt. But given his playing career ended before the World Cup qualification for 2006, he never got the mainstream exposure of others. His coaching career, meanwhile, features a premiership and Asian final with Adelaide but had largely been characterised in 'pissant town' remarks. Now, though, just over a year after his barbequing of some prime rib was interrupted by his old friend Petrillo calling him out of the blue to come to City, he's an A-League Men championship-winning coach too.
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Police officer assaulted before A-League grand final in Melbourne
A police officer has been assaulted during wild scenes ahead of Saturday night's A-League grand final clash between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory. There were chaotic scenes during pre-game celebrations as thousands of fans converged on Swan Street in Richmond. An officer was assaulted and taken to hospital with minor injuries. Police are still searching for the offender. "In what should have been an exciting and vibrant night for our Melbourne soccer community, we saw a number of flares being thrown towards police members and amongst the crowd as supporters gathered in Swan Street before making their way to AAMI Park," a Victoria Police spokesperson said. A security guard was also assaulted during the game. One man was arrested, interviewed and released. He will be charged on summons. Over the course of the night, there were 11 evictions from the stadium, four penalty notices for possessing a lit firework and one for riotous behaviour. Two people were cautioned for trespass. Victoria Police said it was disappointed with the behaviour of some of the crowd. "We will continue to work with the A-League, clubs, stadium management and security providers following the grand final to review and address concerning behaviours," the spokesperson said. Melbourne City beat its fierce cross-town rivals Victory 1-0 to claim its second championship. Soccer fans returned to Richmond after the game but police said there were no arrests. Anyone who witnessed any incidents, has information or phone vision, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via
