Calombaris pleads guilty to A-League grand final assault

MasterChef judge George Calombaris has pleaded guilty to assaulting a teenager after the A-League grand final in Sydney in May.

Calombaris, 38, was charged with common assault in May after he was seen in footage shot exclusively by The World Game pushing a 19-year-old fan in the stands at Allianz Stadium.

In the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, his barrister, Brendan Green, entered a guilty plea on behalf of his client who was not present.

Calombaris is due to be sentenced on September 8.

The incident took place at 8:49pm on May 7 after Sydney FC had won the fiery clash against Melbourne Victory 4-2 on penalties.

Calombaris, Melbourne Victory's number one ticket holder, was at the showpiece event with fellow MasterChef judge Matt Preston and chef Shannon Bennett, who also features on the Network Ten reality show.

After what was a heated match Calombaris was seen aggressively pushing a fan in the stands, as reported first by The World Game.
In the footage Calombaris was first seen chatting to Football Federation Australia boss David Gallop as fans from the stands yelled out to him baiting the chef, who then went over and returned fire.

The TV personality has been under fire this year, also making headlines in April after being found to have underpaid staff to the tune of $2.6 million, with members of the crowd also taunting him about the pay bungle.

Tensions boiled over with Calombaris seen pushing a fan, at which point police intervened.

The incident ended with Preston ushering Calombaris away.
George Calombaris
In a statement to released after the incident the chef and restaurateur admitted he was not proud of his actions.

“I am really disappointed with what occurred last night, " Calombaris said.

"I regret the way in which I reacted, I am disappointed that I let it get to me, and I sincerely apologise for offending anyone.

"While I am not proud of my reaction to the situation, I was offended by a spectator yelling out abusive and derogatory comments about my family."


Share
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service. Read more about Sport
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Sport
2 min read
Published 17 August 2017 11:33am
Updated 17 August 2017 11:39am
Source: SBS The World Game

Share this with family and friends