I am utterly incensed at the biased refereeing decisions witnessed in the Mariners Vs Melbourne City match seen on February 22.
The Mariners are used to being on the wrong side of decisions over the years because of favouritism shown to big clubs, especially away from home, but last night’s display was utterly incredulous.
At the end of the game, opposition players went to the Mariners’ coach saying “I don’t know how we got away with that”.
In the first half, a Mariners defender brought down a Melbourne City attacker outside the box in a slightly late tackle.
As the attacker was falling, the defender tried again to reach for the ball while still on the ground, but this time the player’s feet were inside the box.
The referee took seven minutes to look at this over and over again and decided that it should be a penalty apparently because of a previously unheard of “second strike”.
Commentators and spectators were stunned and Melbourne City fans couldn’t believe their “luck”.
The subsequent penalty brought Melbourne City back to parity as at that stage they were down 1-0.
The Mariners took it in their stride and fought back, as they usually do, and in the second half, a Mariners’ attacker was brought down in the box by what would have been judged an illegal tackle anywhere else in the field, with the defender’s studs clearly on the attacker’s foot.
The attacker needed to be replaced such was the extent of the injury caused, but again, after another seven-minute delay looking at the footage, not only was the defender not issued a yellow card, as this would have been his second yellow of the match and he would have been sent off and we can’t have that happen to one of the big clubs, but the penalty was not given.
Again commentators and players from both sides were stunned.
In what was probably the longest ever A-League match in history, with “normal” time running to 110 minutes in total for what should have been a 90-minute game, the Mariners should have come out in front 3-2 instead of going down 2-3.
Why does all this matter you say; it’s only a game?
The Mariners’ coach received a yellow card for speaking out of turn and the Mariners’ goalkeeping coach was sent off for the same thing.
However, in the first half, the Melbourne City coach went on and on during the seven-minute delay and was not carded by the referee.
Had the correct decisions been made, this would have been the first time in eight years that the Mariners would have won at the AAMI Park venue.
However, instead, the big money club, Melbourne City, has now moved to the top of the table and the Mariners to the bottom, that’s how crucial the outcome of the poor decisions was.
If that happens a few times during a season to a small club and they lose say four matches over it, that’s 12 points in a league where 45 points could win it.
What’s the point of the Mariners competing and fans supporting them when obviously incorrect decisions continually cost them points?
If the refereeing is not seen as fair and even, then there’s no point to the matches.
This sort of thing used to happen to the Socceroos in South America and Asia and they had to win despite biased refereeing.
If last night’s decision making had taken place in a senior match in Europe there would be all sorts of allegations flying around.
There’s a lot of money riding on football matches in the betting sphere.
The least that should now happen is that the referee should be red carded and suspended and asked to show cause why he has brought the game into disrepute and the final result should be reviewed.
Email, Feb 23
Cec Bucello, Saratoga