Pitch invasion arrests promised 'soon'

Inspector Jason Goddard dubbed the behaviour of the invaders as "disgraceful".

"If we can identify them, you can rest assured we will investigate that," he said on Sunday.

"I suspect that we will be knocking on doors very soon.

"I myself, I love my football, I am very saddened by what I saw."

Detectives are also calling for witnesses, footage and anyone with information to come forward. No arrests have been made but police said they already have a number of active enquiries.

The ugly scenes saw the Melbourne Victory clash with Melbourne City at AAMI Park abandoned at the 20th minute after Victory fans stormed the pitch.

During the invasion a man is seen throwing a metal bucket full of sand at the head of City goalkeeper Tom Glover, whose head was cut, requiring stitches and leaving him with a suspected concussion.

Referee Alex King, who went to protect Glover, was also struck by the bucket.

Earlier, a flare hit a Network 10 cameraman in the back of the head which police said left him with a contusion and burned clothing.

The outbreak of violence made worldwide news and Victory issued a late-night apology to those affected.

Insp Goddard said 134 police were present at AAMI Park which was more than they'd have present at the MCG.

"That should be enough for any game," he said.

"We knew there were inherent risks due to some of the fan behaviour in previous weeks."

Capsicum spray was not used.

Football Australia, which manages judiciary matters, has promised heavy penalties and "strong sanctions" against those responsible.

Both sets of fans had planned to walk out at the 20-minute mark as part of a protest over the Australian Professional Leagues' decision to sell the next three grand finals to Sydney.

They had earlier chanted "f*** the APL" while unfurling banners pre-game and during the match, and throwing flares onto the playing arena.

But the situation escalated when a flare from the Victory active area hit the cameraman, then exploded, and Glover picked up another flare off the ground and threw it back into the stands.

About 150 fans then rushed the pitch at about 8.00pm.

Glover and King were both struck by the metal bucket, which was filled with sand to be able to dispose of flares.

Players from both teams were rushed down the tunnel, while fans were swinging from the goal at the Victory end of the ground.

The game was suspended for close to 45 minutes before officials made the decision to abandon the fixture.

Insp Goddard did not explicitly rule out repercussions for Glover, for throwing the flare back into the crowd, and said police would "investigate the whole circumstances".

"He'll be spoken to, however he's a victim," he said.

"I'm not upset (by his behaviour)."

Socceroos legend Mark Schwarzer was among a wave of football figures who condemned the violence.

"What is wrong with people? It happens time & time again," he posted on Twitter.