Football pair face court

By Rebecca Fraser
TWO former junior football coaches have been ordered to face court in April over various assault charges in relation to a Dandenong and District Junior Football league fun day last year.
Francesco Scordo, 19, and Tony Clifford Bundy, 23, appeared at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court for a committal mention last Thursday to face charges stemming from an August 2004 incident in which a volunteer parent umpire was allegedly assaulted by the pair.
The court heard that Mr Scordo, a former assistant coach at Mossgiel Park Junior Football Club, will face four charges in relation to the incident, including intentionally causing injury, assault by kicking, recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault.
Mr Bundy, a former coach at Mossgiel Park Junior Football Club, will face similar charges, including one count of recklessly causing injury and one count of unlawful assault.
Mr Scordo received a lot of attention earlier this year when he appeared on the front page of the Herald Sun wearing the Parkmore Pirates Football Club colours, for which he played.
The player pulled on his football boots for Parkmore Pirates in a bid to help ease the plight of the battling club, but received a lot of negative attention when news of his alleged involvement in the fun day altercation surfaced.
During the hearing, the court heard that a fight erupted after a game between the Endeavour Hills Junior Football Club and Mossgiel Park Junior Football Club at the fun day in which 30 under nine teams were competing.
The court was told Mr Bundy allegedly pushed through his young players after the game and punched the volunteer parent umpire in the head.
It was then alleged that Mr Scordo ran over to the altercation and also punched and kicked the parent umpire.
The court was also told that Mr Scordo was wearing a pair of steelcapped boots at the time and allegedly kicked the umpire to the upper thigh and hip area as the umpire lay on the ground.
Elissa Scott of Melbourne Law Firm Slades and Parsons, for Mr Scordo, said the 19yearold was trying to protect his ill father who was standing near the brawl.
She said Mr Scordo was acting in the defence of another.
“He (Mr Scordo) admits that his is a serious offence and understands that this is clearly inappropriate behaviour for under nines to witness,” she said.
“The issue is how the fight started and my client claims that he was not the instigator.”
Ms Scott said that Mr Scordo’s father was suffering from cancer and had only a “number” of months to live.
“He (Mr Scordo) was concerned that the fight would threaten or injure his father and wanted to protect his father.
“He did not want his father injured and back in hospital,” she said.
She also said the incident had caused the family a lot of stress.
Magistrate Doug Bolster questioned why Mr Scordo continued to kick the umpire when the person was on the ground.
“Surely the victim can not do much harm if they are on the ground?” he said.
During the hearing, Mr Scordo’s father left the courtroom after yelling, “Where is the justice here?” and calling a witness a “compulsive liar”.
Mr Bolster has allowed three days for the hearing, which is to start on Tuesday, 18 April.