MasterChef judge George Calombaris has been charged with assault after he allegedly shoved a young man at the A-League grand final in Sydney on Sunday.
Police said on Wednesday the 38-year-old had been charged with assaulting a 19-year-old man.
Calombaris, an avid Melbourne Victory fan, was on the pitch after the match – which Victory lost to Sydney FC in a penalty shootout – when fans began shouting at him from the crowd.
The incident was captured in a video in which a man is heard shouting, “Pay your staff, you dodgy bastard”, a reference to the revelation that Calomobaris’s restaurant group had underpaid more than 160 people by $2.6m over six years.
Calombaris approached fans in the stands and got involved in a heated discussion that ended with him allegedly pushing a man. He was eventually led away by his fellow MasterChef judge Matt Preston.
On Monday he released a statement expressing regret for his actions, which he said were in response to abuse aimed at his family.
“I am really disappointed with what occurred last night,” he said. “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.
“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.
Network Ten said on Wednesday it was standing by Calombaris.
“This is a personal matter [but] George has apologised for his regrettable and out-of-character reaction, which was in response to highly inflammatory insults about his family,” a spokeswoman told AAP in a statement.
“He is not proud of his actions, has taken responsibility for them and has the full support of Network Ten.
Calombaris is due to appear at Downing Centre local court on 29 June.
