Panel faces tough call on ugly melee
By Guy Hand, 16 Jan 2012 Guy Hand is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- A-League, Brisbane Roar, football, Sydney FC
Inflict a black eye, or turn a blind eye? That’s the decision the A-League match review panel must make after a chaotic post-match melee ended a remarkable Brisbane Roar win over Sydney FC at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
It turned a thing of beauty ugly after the Roar trailed by a goal entering injury time, then won 2-1 with a superb Mohamed Adnan free-kick and Besart Berisha’s header with the last play of the match.
But emotions got out of control when Berisha took his shirt off following the winner and invited Sydney defender Pascal Bosschaart into the players tunnel to settle their differences.
Berisha then ran from the field and officials and players converged into chaos on the sideline.
Though the post-match scenes looked bad, the lack of any real physical altercation will make the issue an interesting one for the A-League match review panel on Monday.
They must decide whether Berisha’s tapping a rival on the arm and motioning him off the field, plus a variety of players and officials restraining others, constitutes bringing the game into disrepute.
And a harsh penalty on currently available evidence would risk relegating one of the A-League’s most gripping contests to the melee’s post-script.
Brisbane coach Ange Postecoglou admitted Albanian international Berisha should not have behaved that way but questioned whether any action needed to be taken.
“No one got hurt last night and no punches were thrown,” Postecoglou said on Sunday.
“Apart from people getting really excited about some minor issues I thought it was great theatre and we need rivalry.
“There’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed. We got close to it, but I don’t think anyone really went over that line last night.”
Regardless of what happens to Berisha, the Roar reignited their title charge with the win – moving to a clear second and closing the gap on ladder leaders Central Coast Mariners to six points.
The Mariners drew 1-1 with Newcastle Jets at Gosford on Saturday night.
Both the top two were helped by Perth Glory beating third-placed Melbourne Heart 2-1 on Sunday, leaving the Mariners nine points clear of missing the double chance.
A rare second-half mistake by Heart goalkeeper Clint Bolton gifted the Glory three points as midfielder Steven McGarry banged in the winner for the visitors.
In Sunday’s other match, Wellington Phoenix beat Gold Coast 1-0 at Skilled Park with a last-gasp Tim Brown winner.
On Friday night, Melbourne Victory drew with Adelaide United 1-1.
© AAP 2012The Crowd Says (8) | Page 1 of Comments
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January 16th 2012 @ 9:08am
JohnL said | January 16th 2012 @ 9:08am | Report comment
The panel doesn’t face a tough call. Last year, Kevin Muscat was given no punishment after punching a Brisbane Roar coaching staff member. Surely a precedence has already been set with this ruling from last year. And in my opinion, throwing and landing a punch is more serious that what happened on Friday night.
January 16th 2012 @ 9:21am
Happy Hooker said | January 16th 2012 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Handbags at 10 paces. I assume no-one was hurt. Move on.
January 16th 2012 @ 11:24am
AGO74 said | January 16th 2012 @ 11:24am | Report comment
There was no punches thrown, let alone any acts of thuggery. Move along please.
If anything, it helps to fuel a rivalry which has slowly been simmering. It’s almost a pity that these two won’t play again this season unless they meet in finals.
January 16th 2012 @ 2:53pm
Roon said | January 16th 2012 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
“If anything, it helps to fuel a rivalry which has slowly been simmering. It’s almost a pity that these two won’t play again this season.”
There; fixed.
January 16th 2012 @ 2:53pm
Dinoweb said | January 16th 2012 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
Beauchamp was quoted in the press as saying after the match “What happens on the pitch should stay on the pitch.” While this attitude prevailed 10-15 years ago, rightly or wrongly in this time of “Politcal Correctness” that is no longer the case. You only need to look at the recent Suarez incident to find the truth of that.
Reports would indicate that Berisha was angered by offensive comments from Bosschaart about his family. Assuming that to be true, and I have no idea what might have happened otherwise to incite Berisha so much, then which is worse, the sight of a man defending his family, or someone who feels he can say whatever he likes during a match assuming there will be no reprecussions afterwards.
If things that are said in public would have consequences, then where is it written that saying those same things on a football field should be ignored and dismissed?
Remember also that Berisha is a former refugee from the attrocities of the war in Kosovo and has had to struggle for everything that has ever come his way.
If the review panel decide that Berisha has a case to answer, then surely Bosschart must likewise be held accountable.
January 16th 2012 @ 10:16pm
The Bear said | January 16th 2012 @ 10:16pm | Report comment
What I have learnt out of this:-
Bes has shown he has an achilles heel that other teams could possibly exploit. Just sledge him. May not stop him scoring but may get him sent off.
Bosscharts has shown himself to be totally ungentlemanly. This is the implication of his recent conduct from various here-say sources.
The media seem fairly reasonable in their presentation of the events. Absolutely surprising,
Let’s see what Brisbane and Sydney make known to the FFA. That maybe an indicator of the punishment. The club that takes responsibility will likely escape the harshest punishment.
I am confident that Berisha must have had significant reason to let loose. I don’t condone the act of fighting – but at least he took his shirt off (once the game was completed) which had the effect of removing the Roar and the HAL from the issue.
January 17th 2012 @ 1:50pm
philipcoates said | January 17th 2012 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
I think most of the comments so far have gone soft on Berisha. Let’s face it – his intention was to start a fight in the tunnel or off the field. Is that a good look for the A-League? Is that the message we want to send to the fans on the terraces – forget the match score and just settle your differences in the car park? I don’t think so.
Given that the Roar supporters were involved in some sort of melee of their own against the GCU fans a week or two ago i cant see how this sort of antagonizing by the players toward each other can be acceptable to the FFA. If you want the fans to behave appropriately then you have to hold the players up to higher standards than was set by Berisha at the end of the game.
January 18th 2012 @ 10:47am
Clayts said | January 18th 2012 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Now cops in Victoria aren’t allowed to have moustaches..