A FRIENDLY game of footy turned nasty at Seaford’s Belvedere Reserve last month and police are now investigating an on-field assault.
A player for a Druze Victoria team was allegedly headbutted by a rival Aussie rules player for “a Muslim team” at about 2pm on Sunday 11 March.
Frankston Acting Inspector Miro Majstorovic said it is unusual for police to investigate sports-related incidents but they want to hear from any players or spectators who saw the alleged assault.
The 24-year-old victim was knocked unconscious and had surgery to fix a broken nose at Frankston Hospital. He was released from hospital soon after the incident.
Police received a complaint on 9 March since the offender has not been identified. He is described as being about 5 foot 9 in height, of “Middle Eastern” appearance and has a thick black beard.
The Druze Society of Victoria confirmed “an incident” had occurred on the day of the practice match ahead of a Druze Cup tournament.
The society is based in Keysborough. Druze is a religious sect Islamic in origin, chiefly practised in Syria and Lebanon.
