MasterChef judge George Calombaris has — much like a creme brulee — come under fire for allegedly shoving a Sydney FC fan at this year’s A-League Grand Final.
The celebrity judge and staunch Melbourne Victory supporter was at Allianz Stadium to witness his club go down to the Sky Blues 4-2 in a nail-biting penalty shootout (the worst way to lose a football game BTW), and did not react well to taunts from the victorious Sydney camp.
After one fan mocked Calombaris for underpaying his restaurant staff by a whopping $2.6 million — a scandal he was forced to apologise for last month — the chef lunged at him, shoved him and, according to The Daily Mail, challenged him to a fight.
Footage of the incident has since hit social media, in which the fan can be heard yelling “pay your staff, you dodgy bastard!” (below).
In a statement released today, Calombaris claimed he lost his temper after the 19-year-old victim made abusive comments about his family:
“I am really disappointed with what occurred last night. I was genuinely shocked when post-match football banter turned into personal abuse about my family. 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.
Police have since confirmed to The Daily Mail that they are investigating the biffo, despite the victim suffering no injuries.
“Police are investigating after an alleged assault at Allianz Stadium about 8.50pm on Sunday,” they said. “A 19-year-old man was allegedly assaulted by a 38-year-old man after a football game. Police have spoken to the men and will be investigating the incident further. Any witnesses who have not spoken to police should contact Crime Stoppers.”
It’s nasty business, but TBH probably won’t do anything to burn MasterChef Australia‘s season 9 ratings, which drew a spicy 1.42 million viewers when it premiered last week.
