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Is it time to talk about A-League referees?

19th January, 2017
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Can things turn around for the Mariners? (AAP Image/Darren Pateman)
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19th January, 2017
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Last night’s AAMI Park contest was hardly an even fight, so is it once again time to talk about A-League refereeing standards?

Let’s get the disclaimer out of the way first: refereeing is difficult. Without our officials, there’d be no football – and that includes at the highest level.

With that being said, you’d have to be Blind Freddy to overlook the fact that refereeing decisions continue to have a major influence on many A-League matches.

And Central Coast Mariners fans must have been muttering under their breath about Blind Freddy last night, after referee Daniel Elder brandished a straight red card to Roy O’Donovan in Melbourne City’s 2-1 win at AAMI Park.

In Elder’s defence, he originally looked like he had no intention of dismissing O’Donovan for raising his arm against City defender Michael Jakobsen.

But after consulting with the assistant referee, Elder suddenly brandished a red card in just the 23rd minute of the game.

It left the Mariners to battle on with 10 men for more than an hour, as their only recognised striker trudged straight from the field not long after scoring a ninth-minute equaliser.

In fairness to the officials, there are some mitigating circumstances worth mentioning.

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O’Donovan has a history of leading with his arm in aerial challenges, and his combative all-action style tends to draw the attention of every A-League referee.

He’s also been on the receiving end of some seriously lenient decisions – once when he could have broken Leigh Broxham’s leg with an X-rated challenge, and more seriously when he only received a yellow card for head-butting Manny Muscat in the face.

O’Donovan subsequently received a massive eight-week suspension for the head-butt, so you can perhaps forgive the referees for being somewhat trigger-happy around the Irishman.

What frustrates fans, however, is not just a lack of consistency in the decision-making process – undoubtedly an issue this season – but also decisions that completely change the fabric of the game.

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Melbourne Victory were fortunate to beat Brisbane Roar 3-2 at AAMI Park last week, despite Besart Berisha receiving a straight red following a duel with Roar defender Luke DeVere.

It was not the first time a Roar defender has clutched at his face following minimal contact this season, but it was enough to see referee Chris Beath send Berisha off.

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Crucially, Beath consulted with his assistant referee being brandishing the red card, making it twice in one week a key player has been dismissed on the basis of some dud advice.

So what’s the answer? Is it the Video Assistant Referees set to be introduced in time for the finals?

The VARs will supposedly only focus on four key areas: goals, penalty decisions, red cards and cases of mistaken identity – but that would have been enough to exonerate both O’Donovan and Berisha.

The latter swiftly had his red card rescinded and lined up against Wellington Phoenix midweek – much to the Kiwi side’s chagrin – but there was no such consolation for a beaten Mariners outfit.

And with games being heavily influenced by key moments like O’Donovan’s dismissal, perhaps the VARs are just what the A-League needs.

At the very least, Melbourne City will be pleased to have eked out a narrow win over the visitors from Gosford, with marquee man Tim Cahill once again proving his worth where it most counts – the goals tally.

Yet it’s hard not to feel sorry for the Mariners, who’ve turned in several valiant performances in recent weeks only to come away empty-handed.

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It’s left coach Paul Okon fuming, and he may yet pay the price for telling Fox Sports after the match that Elder’s decision “ruined the game”.

At most, the former Socceroos stalwart is only guilty of saying what everyone else was thinking.

And in a week in which decision-making continues to raise eyebrows, it’s worth asking – not for the first instance – is it time to talk about refereeing standards?

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