- Incident occurred during a match between South Sydney and Parramatta
- Rival fans clashed in the stands and reportedly came to blows
- At least one security guard watched as the situation escalated.
Football fans have criticised security staff at NRL’s CommBank Stadium for allegedly ignoring escalating violence in the stands that unfolded right in front of them.
The alleged brawl occurred during the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ 32-16 win over the Parramatta Eels at the western Sydney venue on Thursday night.
Fan footage shared on social media on Friday showed a number of male and female fans from both NRL teams appearing to push and punch each other as a nearby security guard looked on.
The footage begins with a man wearing South Sydney fan gear appearing to be thrown over a row of seats as a man dressed in Parramatta colours wrestles him to the ground.
A woman wearing Parramatta clothing went in to help before another woman wearing a Rabbitohs shirt under a black padded jacket burst in.
She helped the man wearing Rabbitohs fan gear to his feet and escorted him to the exit.
While this was happening, people watching were yelling at the security guard: “Come on” and “do your job, clown.”
“Hurry up, dammit!” a man who had not been involved in the alleged violence shouted at security guards stationed higher up in the stands.
A security guard on the pitch at CommBank Stadium watches but fails to act despite witnessing an alleged fight in the stands.
The situation then escalated and the man in the Parramatta shirt ran towards the other man he had been fighting with.
The woman wearing South Sydney supporter clothing then appears to punch the Parramatta fan in the mouth, eventually prompting the ground’s security guard to approach.
He walked to the side of the stands and seemed to say something like ‘what’s going on?’, but took no further action.
Then a man walking with a crutch walked up the stairs to get security to intervene.
When another fan asked him to stay there, he said, “It’s okay, I’m an ex-cop.”
Then two more security guards came down the stairs and that’s where the video cuts off.
Security firm National Event Services has been contracted for NRL matches at Sydney venues.
A closer look at the footage shows this South Sydney Rabbitohs supporter appears to punch a Parramatta fan in the head.
New South Wales Police have been contacted for comment.
CommBank Stadium management told Daily Mail Australia: “Security responded quickly to an altercation in the stands following the match.
‘Security and police were involved, and the two patrons were charged with assault and banned from the venue for 12 months.’
This comes after reports the NRL is investigating allegations a fan verbally abused two Parramatta Eels players at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Saturday.
A video has emerged showing a fan verbally abusing Parramatta players Junior Paulo and Dylan Brown as they left the pitch via the tunnel following the Eels’ loss to the Knights.
The abuse was severe enough for both players to stop and confront the fan, who was also challenged by nearby spectators.
Several members of the crowd shouted for security forces to intervene, but their pleas for help fell on deaf ears.
The NRL has been informed of the incident and the integrity unit is investigating, with indications that the abuse may have been racially motivated. Venues NSW is reviewing CCTV footage to identify the perpetrator.
Another example of mob violence this season was a video shared on social media showing an NRL fan headbutting a security guard during a chaotic crowd incident at the Wests Tigers vs Brisbane match at Campbelltown Stadium in April.
The video shows a man in a black shirt pushing a Wests fan to get to the centre of the disturbance before headbutting the security guard, who was trying to calm the situation.
The fan who shared the video on social media said: ‘It’s just another day in the league where a fan headbutts security.
‘There is hardly any security/police presence compared to an A-League match.’