On Thursday, April 4, Football Victoria (FV) confirmed that both Oakleigh Cannons FC (OCFC) and Dandenong Thunder FC (DTFC) have been issued with sanctions, after breaching the conditions of the 2024 NPL Victoria Men’s License, following an incident at the Round 5 match between the clubs on Friday, March 8.
FV has determined that both OCFC and DTFC have brought the game into disrepute through the actions of supporters and failure to provide a safe football environment, with financial and sporting sanctions now imposed on the clubs.
The sanctions for both clubs include:
- A suspended 3-point deduction for DTFC and OCFC’s Senior Men’s and U23’s teams in the NPL Men’s (or corresponding league e.g. VPL1), to be enacted should the club be found guilty of any spectator or GDT related offences (as determined by FV) in the 2024 or 2025 football seasons (end September 2025)
- A $7500 fine
- Any Home & Away or Cup fixtures between OCFC & DTFC to be played with no spectators (closed door) for the remainder of 2024.
- A requirement for all home fixtures for the remainder of the 2024 season to have six security guards and six home ground marshals, as well as two away ground marshals
In addition to these measures, OCFC also had the following imposed:
- An OCFC player was suspended for two fixtures, which has now been served.
- The first home fixture after the original fixture for OCFC (v Altona Magic on Monday 11th March 2024) was played with no spectators.
Throughout the investigation, FV identified four individuals that were central to the incident. Further sanctions related to these individuals will be determined shortly.
For the remainder of the 2024 season and the 2025 season, FV will continue to work with both OCFC and DTFC to ensure both clubs are supported in delivering a safe, inclusive and respectful game day atmosphere for their Senior Men’s NPL fixtures (both Home and Away).
FV is undertaking an extensive review of minimum security standards across all Men’s and Women’s leagues, with further updates to be shared as available.
FV CEO Chris Pehlivanis said the sanctions reflected the seriousness of the incident.
“The strength of our game is its diversity and passion, which we all love to see on display across our state each weekend. This passion is never an excuse for anti-social behaviour. These acts tarnish our game’s reputation and limit our potential,” he said.
“There is no place in our game for threatening, aggressive or violent behaviour, whether that be directed by or toward players, spectators, coaches or match officials.”
