Melbourne Victory has been fined over $5000 after a group of fans targeted Adelaide United's Josh Cavallo with homophobic abuse.
Cavallo, 22, made waves in world football in late 2021 - coming out as the only openly gay men's player in a major league across the globe.
But while Cavallo's coming out was largely met with positive reaction and support, the defender was the subject of homophobic abuse in his side's 1-1 draw with the Victory on January 8.
And while the Victory did also act to denounce those responsible for the abuse directed at Cavallo, the Football Australia (FFA) have issued a financial penalty against the club.
The Victory has been fined AU$5000 (NZ$5350), with the FA commending the club on its response while also emphasising that clubs must take responsibility for fans' behaviour.
"This is not a situation where the club has been sitting on its hands," says FA chief executive James Johnson.
"The club provided a detailed submission, and it has taken a strong stance against anti-social behaviour - both by its actions before and after this incident.
"This is a case of a small number of individuals acting in a way that does not reflect the values of our sport.
"We understand that some individuals were removed from the stadium on the night and we will continue to work with the club and the Australian Professional Leagues to ensure that they - and any other individual identified as engaging in a discriminatory act like this at a match - are banned from attending future football matches in Australia."
