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A father and son have received lifetime bans from participating in OzTag following a chaotic altercation at the New South Wales state championships.
Bill Harrigan, a former NRL referee and the tournament director at the event in Coffs Harbour, expressed his dismay at the incident, describing the violence as appalling.
Speaking on Today, Harrigan confirmed that the father and son were among the key figures involved in the brawl, leading to their expulsion from the sport.
“The involvement of parents is absolutely unacceptable, and this kind of behavior will not be tolerated,” he emphasized.
A video captured by 2GB’s Mark Levy shows the brawl breaking out as players from the Port Macquarie and Wollongong under-17 teams shook hands following their match last Saturday.
Insults were exchanged, triggering the intervention of adult spectators who stormed onto the middle of the field as chaos erupted.
Part of the footage shows a man in a white shirt running in and hitting a player from the side before he is thrown to the ground.
Harrigan thinks an insult between the teenage players may have sparked the brawl, but says officials from Australian OzTag are still investigating.
“We’ll sift through all the video that we’ve received, the reports that we’ve got from the officials … It could be more life bans,” he said.
Harrigan said those involved in the violence ignored signs warning spectators to respect players and referees and remain on the sidelines.
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