Eddie calls for ‘clown’ to face ‘serious’ penalty, police charges

Eddie McGuire has called for the perpetrator of the umpire attack during St Kilda’s narrow victory over Carlton to be arrested as the AFL continues its search for the patron. 
The incident occurred just before halftime at Marvel Stadium, with goal umpire Steven Piperno left bloodied by a flying bottle that hit the back of his head. 
The act was dubbed as “borderline assault” on Seven’s coverage of the match, with McGuire believing the threat of a lifetime ban does not do justice to the severity of the incident. 
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“You need to have a serious, serious penalty,” McGuire said on Nine’s Eddie and Jimmy podcast. 
“If it’s a life (ban), it’s life. I’m not going to fight over some bloke throwing a bottle over the fence. I’m not going to go to the ditches for this clown. 
“But I think he should be up for assault and he should go through the courts. I would like to see the guy be arrested by Victoria police and front the magistrates court then the AFL can give him as long as they like.
“I just wonder why the AFL seems to be a far more tougher arbiter of penalties than what the general society is these days.”
McGuire floated the idea of educational rehabilitation programs that include club managers and officials from the AFL, expressing his concerns with the effectiveness of lifetime bans. 
“What happens when he goes to court on that? If he jumped a fence with a machete he wouldn’t get life these days,” he said. 
AFL umpire, who struck by bottle, attended to by medical staff. Fox Footy
“My point is this, you’re far better giving them five years and the chance to rehabilitate than giving life and the guy comes into the footy anyway. 
“I don’t know how they are policing them not coming to the football. You need to get these people in and educate them. 
“(Bring) them into the club, [in this case] you get Michael Voss and Brian Cook, and they say ‘mate, you have humiliated our club.’ Hit them where it hurts.
“Obviously, they are a passionate idiot, who carries on – there is no shortage of them at the football, but you need to have a serious penalty.”