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Kevin Muscat’s sending off has outraged many in the football world, with calls for him to serve a lengthy suspension. While I will not defend Muscat as it was a disgraceful tackle, there is more to this awful situation than just him.
The club culture at Melbourne Victory since season two has been disgraceful. The club thinks that it’s bigger than the rest of the competition and doesn’t need to follow proper rules.
Whenever a foul is committed, whether Melbourne or another side, Kevin Muscat or Grant Brebner are the first in the referee’s ear demanding action favouring Melbourne.
The team shows no respect to other players or officials as highlighted earlier in the year when Mathew Leckie was tackled similarly by Surat Sukha and very nearly had a move to Germany canceled due to the resultant knee injury.
They never are wrong and never admit to going over the top. While I like to watch a hard fought game with good strong challenges, it has to be played fairly and in good spirit; Melbourne does not do this.
Ernie Merrick has a lot of blood on his hands in this incident. Instead of condemning the situation in his interview, he did his best Sergeant Shultz impersonation and claimed not to have seen anything, even giving a glowing reference about Muscat’s commitment to the team.
Unless he suddenly became blind, there was no missing the situation and the disgrace of Muscat’s tackle. It was a gutless act from a man who should have nipped this attitude in the butt years ago but failed to.
The fish rots from the head up and the FFA and its disciplinary panel should take some responsibility for what has gone on. Time after time, they have had the chance to clamp down on bad attitudes with Muscat and other Melbourne players, but they stuck their heads in the sand and refused to do anything about it.
I refer back to the Leckie case where Sukha’s tackle went unpunished other than a free-kick. The FFA had a chance to punish a tackle which in most people’s minds was a terrible tackle but again refused to.
This sort of denial allowed a horrible culture to fester.
For so long, media experts saw Muscat as an individual the game needed and refused to consider the nastiness of the team. Slowly but surely people are starting to realise the culture at Melbourne Victory FC, and how close it has come close to ending a promising player’s career.
Change is needed or it could get worse.
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