Just when you think the A-League is running smoothly, perhaps as smoothly as it ever has, along comes an unprecedented email from the governing body at 5.38pm AEST on a Friday evening, two-thirds of the way into the season.
It’s not so much the content of the email which has you wondering, although there are obvious questions about the three match suspension of Joel Griffiths that need addressing, but it’s the timing.
Unless you’re in Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, it’s already close of business, the weekend is under way, and A-League fans and clubs are making their final preparations for the upcoming round’s action.
For Sydney FC and their coach Frank Farina, the suspension of Griffiths for the “use of offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures against a match official”, means he had to alter his plans on the eve on this evening’s vital away clash in Newcastle.
Given that Griffiths admitted to swearing at an official late in the ‘Big Blue’ at AAMI Park on Saturday, the Sky Blues can’t have too much of a compliant that he’s been punished.
Whether it was worthy of a three-match ban is another story however, especially given that players right across the league appear to regularly be back-chatting to officials.
Certainly the FFA has made a strong stance, and given the out-cry when Griffiths walked free after striking an assistant referee in the groin over five years ago, there can be no such complaint about a lack of action here.
Sydney FC now have until noon on Monday to make a decision about whether to appeal the length of the ban.
Irrespective of what they do with their appeal, there should also be some stern introspection, including a possible sanction for Griffiths, a player brought in to help in their push for a finals spot.
Indeed, the fact they had to wait a few weeks for the transfer window to use Griffiths will only heighten the frustration.
It’s the type of indiscipline former manager Vitezslav Lavicka worked hard to eradicate from the club as he set about shifting the culture to a more humble and respectful one.
While there’s no doubt some questions should be asked internally, Tony Pignata and Scott Barlow should also be asking some questions of the FFA about the timing of the announcement.
Considering that the A-League’s match review panel, consisting of Simon Micallef, Alan Davidson and Con Diomis, met on Tuesday to deliberate over the Jerome Polenz send off on Saturday night, one has to question the timing of this subsequent sitting and announcement.
Word is the FFA only learnt about the evidence of the Griffiths incident mid-week, and that it wasn’t included in the referee’s report, but one has to question why and how it was missed earlier in the week?
How did this incident come to the attention of the FFA?
Indeed, just how comprehensive is the match review process if the incident was missed in the two and half days between the match finishing and the announcement of Polenz’s automatic one-match ban on Tuesday?
It’s the type of incident which should bring the match review process into clearer focus, and the FFA would do well to make it as transparent as possible.
Above all else, what the fans want to know is that every incident in every game is given the same due diligence and that there’s a consistent approach throughout, free of external influence.
whiskeymac
Guest
balls of steel
Realfootbal
Guest
Depends on what he said, though, doesn't it?
Realfootbal
Guest
Mind you, the linesman doesn't even flinch, so either he has no balls or there was no contact.
ItsCalledFootball
Roar Guru
Last thing Sydney needed on top of all their injury and suspension problems is Joel to shoot his big mouth off and swear at a linesman. But if referees and the match committee are consistent they should send off and suspend at least 3 players EVERY game who abuse the officiials. You can see it plain as day every game on the TV. CONSISTENCY is all fans want and FAIRNESS.
Citizen7
Guest
More microphones, more cameras around the field. Use the technology available to deliver consistency. Mandatory week suspension servers to buffer the time lag ffa run at having to review incidents from the wknd games. hard up fans.
Jeff Cook
Guest
Hey i just strolled into the soccer section(usually lurking in the League area) And low and behold do i find a player telling a linesman to f**k off but he punched him on the cock with a cliched fist. And for his trouble a yellow card, play on.I could only imagine this happening in an NRL game. The bloke cops a mandatory 1 wk plus 2 more. 8 to 12 for deliberate striking match official in NRL . Remembering he punched the bloke cock and balls. Things are quite a lot different in A League !
Atawhai Drive
Guest
Think I must have tripped over the moderation filter, so will try again. Word is that Griffiths not only told the assistant to 'f... off', which we all lip-read, but also called him a 'w.g c..t'. And now Adam Griffiths has been yellow-carded for failing to hold his tongue. More discipline required.
Ballymore
Guest
I can't comment on the whether the suspension is correct, but suspending a player six (6) days after the incident, just a day before his next game is embarrassing. What sort of administration thinks that is good management?
Ballymore
Guest
The referees should not need the FFA's help to stop being surrounded. Card them all, that will stop it immediately. If six (6) players surround the referee, dish out six (6) yellow cards. If there are some second yellows in that, then good. If the referees are too cowardly to do that, well they deserve it.
AVictory
Guest
Don't really understand how verbally abusing referees is ever justified, I'm not buying the "everyone else does it too" excuse. It's very poor behaviour and the players need to respect those in authority and the decisions they make, even when they are wrong. On TV you could see and hear Joel unleashing his anger with a few swear words at the linesman, the punishment is fully deserved but the timing of it is puzzling.
Craig
Guest
Where does it say Sydney plead guilty? I can't seem find that. All I saw was that they have until midday Monday to appeal against the 3 matches.
jack@hotmail.com
Guest
Grittith is a dead set goose needs to shut his mouth only player who i ever ever seen compalin to refs more is Kewell. No Harry and Joel its not the refs fault you fell over.... or your old ... or you now slow
langou
Roar Guru
+1
Realfootball
Guest
Priceless. Jeez, he's lost some pace since then, hasn't he?
Garcia
Guest
Here is the infamous "sack wack" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGWIMr0c1Mc
Realfootball
Guest
Can I just interrupt the indignation to note that - despite the ludicrous timing of the official notification - we don't know what Griffiths said. He's a hothead, and an unpleasant character on the pitch, and he may have crossed some kind of line in what he said, Don't forget that this is the same player who punched a linesmen in the testicles while playing for the Jets. I also don't believe for a moment that Farina was surprised to be without Griffiths tomorrow. Sydney would have been well aware of when the panel was meeting, and they would also have known that Griffiths was going to receive at least one week suspension. Farina cannot claim to be bliindsided with any credibility. Griffiths also gets no kudos for pleading guilty. It's all there on youtube in closeup, for any lipreader to see. He had absolutely no option. The culpable individual here is Griffiths - he acted with reckless irresponsibility in putting his club in this position. And he's 33. He has no excuse. He well and truly had this one coming. I still support the concept of the MRP - it is needed. I agree that the timing of the suspension, even if expected, was ridiculous. The answer is not scrapping the MRP, but improving its performance, with consistency being a focus.
NUFCMVFC
Guest
Personally I think the MRP thing should be scrapped. Lost credibility yonks ago, eg how can Smeltz not be banned for an elbow on an MVFC player yet a few weeks later Milligan is? No consistency and that is only one example, and you will never remove the suspicion that the whole process has an air of subjectivity about it - namely punishing players they tend not to like As far as this issue goes, matchday eve does it no favours, if you are going to give him a ban, make it with a one match delay to allow for appeals etc as I think it is in England now
Andyroo
Guest
The ref got a lot of stick on twitter for giving out so many cards in that game but I remember early on seeing Griffiths barrel into two players in quick succession. I think Sydney were obviously under instructions to get physical with MV and the fact we still got something of a football game is a credit to the ref (and Ange). -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
I knew it. He's still the same goose he always was. But he can play and we will miss him.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
When Farina was the Roar's manager he lacked the ability to keep his player's emotions in check with discipline... I see signs here at SFC he is falling into the same undisciplined pattern with the squad as when he was the Roar's manager.. Time for Farina to take stock and not make the same mistake with SFC's lack of discipline.. Time to get the guys together and explain to them that, SFC will not be going anywhere if this keeps up.. The challenge is Farina's---to keep order in the ranks.. How disappointing it is, to see Griffiths to be slide lined for 3 matches, when he should've kept his trap shut, with only 9 matches to play-out for the season..