By Ben Cameron
A Cairnlea soccer club volunteer lost part of his nose in a dog attack after a state league match on Saturday.
Police are looking into the incident, as well as what a spokesman said was a brawl involving
up to 100 people during Cairnlea’s division 1 game against Altona Magic at Kevin Flint Memorial Reserve.
A police spokesman confirmed an incident involving “a lot of pushing and shoving with several punches thrown”.
A 40-year-old man from West Meadows received scratch wounds.
The spokesman said a player, a 20-year-old man from Moonee Ponds, was also involved but would not say from which team.
Cairnlea Football Club president Yagiz Adal said the word brawl was “ridiculous terminology”.
He believed it was simply “innocent bystanders watching a push-and-shove incident between two fools”.
“It’s just ridiculous,” he said. “I don’t call them supporters, either.”
Adal confirmed a Cairnlea volunteer had part of his nose bitten off by a pitbull terrier near the clubrooms.
“I didn’t witness the incident, but from what I hear he was sitting outside the clubrooms and bent down to pick something up near the dog and it lunged at him,” he said.
“I visited him this morning [Tuesday] and he’s in a bad state, very upset.
“He’s devastated, the club is devastated. He lost a portion of his nose and he’ll have further surgery in a few weeks.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life and never want to see it again.”
Adal, who wants dogs banned from the ground on match days, has made a statement to the Brimbank council about the attack.
He said he bore no ill feeling to Altona Magic: “They’re a great club,” he said.
A Football Federation Victoria spokesman said it was investigating.
Altona Magic did not respond to a
Star Weekly request for comment.
Brimbank council director of city development Stuart Menzies said the unregistered dog was taken from the scene by the council under instructions from police and would be
kept until the investigation was finished.
“If anyone witnessed the incident, they are encouraged to contact the compliance department on 9249 4000,” he said.
“Council officers believe the dog is not a restricted breed.”
