A player heads from the locker room to the field during Auckland City FC v Eastern Suburbs AFC. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Amateur football club Auckland City FC is still battling to regain control of its social media pages after falling victim to a cyber security attack.
Auckland City FC made headlines earlier this year after producing a stunning 1-1 draw with South American giants Boca Juniors, after two humiliating losses at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The club has 310,000 Instagram followers and 105,000 follow its official Facebook page, but in the last few days the club - which is essentially run by volunteers - has been dealing with a cyber attack.
A statement posted to the club's website on Monday said it was aware of a cyber incident, which saw hackers flood its social media pages with images of a sexual nature.
"We are currently working closely with the relevant authorities and cyber security experts to investigate and resolve the issue. The safety and integrity of our digital platforms are of utmost importance, and we are taking all necessary steps to restore normal operations."
It appeared the risqué content had been deleted, but an Auckland City FC spokesperson told RNZ on Friday morning they still had not regained control over the social media accounts.
A "rogue agent" is still posting on the club's accounts, including a promo of games, which were reposts of older legitimate posts from the club.
"We have no admin rights, can't even delete the page if we wanted to. We are making progress through our cyber security experts, and hopefully will have full control soon, but still a bit to go."
Auckland City FC were fifth on the New Zealand National League ladder, with two wins from five matches.
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