Melbourne Victory will have Besart Berisha back for Friday night’s A-League elimination final against Brisbane, after their appeal against the star striker’s additional match suspension was successful.
Berisha was red-carded and later handed a two-game ban by the A-League match review panel for kicking out at Wellington’s Andrew Durante while getting treatment during Victory’s 4-1 win on April 2.
Sitting in Sydney on Tuesday night, FFA’s independent disciplinary committee reduced that ban to one match, ruling that Berisha had been sanctioned sufficiently by being sidelined for half of the Phoenix game along with serving his mandatory one-match ban in Saturday’s scoreless draw with the Roar.
The decision means Victory’s attack will receive a major boost for their do-or-die trip to Suncorp Stadium and significantly increase their chances of progressing past the first week of the finals.
In a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the committee viewed photos and footage showing Durante’s hand reaching out to Berisha while he was on the ground receiving medical treatment after being knocked on the head during an aerial contest.
Berisha told the committee that as he lay on the ground in a “dizzy” and sore state receiving a concussion test by the club doctor, Durante approached him and moved his boot onto his hip and his hand to his throat.
“He moved close to my hip with his boot and he said `You have nothing wrong, stand up’, and he kept pushing at my hip,” Berisha said.
“He was pushing down on my throat and I couldn’t even talk to the doctor.
“He was saying ‘stay calm’.”
While unable to confirm any contact with Berisha’s throat, the committee agreed it was Durante’s intention to bait Berisha into reacting, which they said was out of order particularly given it interfered with a player’s medical treatment.
They also accepted Berisha’s claim that rather than attempting to harm Durante, the 30-year-old was trying to push the Phoenix defender’s boot away from his hip.
However the committee’s chairman also warned the feisty Albanian forward he also needed to reign in his own behaviour.
“You’ve had the benefit tonight of a favourable hearing, and you should be aware that opposing players do wish to provoke you … you need to take that on board very carefully,” chairman John Marshall SC said.
Berisha made assurances he would “try to be a good role model to the Australian people”.
Paul
Guest
Goes without saying for Melbourne Victory with "Break your leg" Muscat as coach. 1. Georgievski should have been rubbed out for 3 weeks for his tackle on Mitch Nichols 2. Kosta Barbarouses was rightly suspended for violent conduct 3. Berisha should have got 3 weeks as you said. For me, Williams ...ed up on this so leniency was shown but SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN. Berisha should have got an extra week. I'd believe Durante over Berisha any day of the week. 4. Berisha should have been cited for slapping the keeper which initiating the melee where Alberto was sent-off. Alberto should have legend status for Wanderers and non-Melb Victory fans after giving Berisha a little tap. The only thing that the sentence reduction shows is that the FFA look to Melbourne Victory as a cash cow. The FFA are secretly hoping that that Victory go through to the Grand Final to oppose the Wanderers at Sydney Olympic Stadium as they get ALL the gate!
TK
Guest
Yeah i was being sarcastic.
Mark
Guest
I can say with all honesty I could not bring myself to argue with a straight face that it should have been more than a week, regardless of the player or club involved. The incident was extremely soft.
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
It's building all right. We've already had a couple of blow outs in this fixture this season.. This one you'd think will be end to end. Im feeling it's going to be berishas night though. We all know he was born to play in these sudden-death type games. And the lifting of the ban means he's gonna lift with it..and the rest of the squad with him. 3-2 to the victory!
AZ_RBB
Guest
You may have me confused with someone else haha If anything my interest in epl has declined over the years. Nothing against it. I still follow keenly. But just don't have the time to watch it. Even during WSW's struggles last season i barely missed a game. But it is easy following a team like WSW or even Brisbane for that matter.
Paul
Guest
Concussion .... but could fly the next day and play three days later. Sounds right
TK
Guest
Sounds like he had concussion by his account so best he was sent off. A role model is that recent rugby player (pocock?) who admitted publicly he did the wrong thing, thanked the review committee for its ban and accepted the consequences of his actions without argument a trait increasingly lacking in society these days.
TK
Guest
Sounds like he had concussion by his account so best he was sent off. A role model is that recent rugby player (pocock?) who admitted publicly he did the wrong thing, thanked the review committee for its ban and accepted the consequences of his actions without argument a trait increasingly lacking in society these days.
sid
Guest
agreed they need to be careful
Lionheart
Guest
good point. Bes got 3 Reds at Roar, or maybe 4, but as far as I can recall he only got one straight Red, and scored a two natch suspension. It was a studs up on a goalie from memory, without checking he record. One would have thought that any future penalty would take those earlier Reds into account. Doesn't really look like they did. But does it really matter? It'll be a good game with or without him.
Paul
Guest
Agree that Berisha was doing his utmost to milk a yellow card. I would include time wasting. Berisha should have got 3 weeks but aren't Melb Victory one of the FFA'S cash cows? Williams should, as a referee, stopped the melee by calling for the stretcher. maybe if FIFA had a 5 minute rule that where if a player receives medical attention then he/she cannot return to the field, maybe the spurious feigned injuries would disappear. Berisha got a slight tickle from Alberto months ago and Alberto received a 2 match ban. Yet Berisha instigated the whole saga. the Wanderers should have appealed? Who was referee that nigjt? Williams. Berisha appears to be a vety good actor for thesr incidents as well as milking penalties!
Chopper
Guest
Novillo is appealing on the grounds that he also plays for a Melbourne team. lol
Jets Fan
Guest
Thats precisely my point! Was he provoked??? He claims he was, why was Durante not asked for his version. I understand it was only about the punishment, but Berisha used alleged provocation as a mitigating circumstance. this was accepted without Durante being called.
Paul
Guest
And if this was the other way around plenty of MV fans would be complaining that it wasn't fair to reduce the ban so cut the "holier than thou" attitude LoL. The ONLY club to complain out of this will be Melb City if Novello's ban doesn't get reduced to one match.
Paul
Guest
Fuss is right, this wasn't about guilt this was about whether the punishment fitted the crime. Apparently provocation reduces the sentence, I'm not sure how I feel about that but as far as this incident goes - he was provoked and he did react and the MRP view one match as sufficient. Next is Novello's appeal - he was provoked and he did react so what does he get?
Paul
Guest
err, Berisha has given plenty of interviews that are basically "sacrifice" and "the journey" .... in his case the journey is a really interesting one though
Paul
Guest
Their statement says that tv footage didn't show any contact with the throat
Paul
Guest
very true.
Paul
Guest
I think that's the truth of it, the FFA aren't necessarily out "to help MV" though but have used this to create a news story that's got plenty of people talking. This won't put the Suncorp crowd up but you can bet viewing figures will take a nice little leap. The FFA are playing with fire over this, Novello has to have his ban reduced to one game now also
Mark
Guest
The right result has prevailed. The whole incident was very soft. Durante wanted a reaction and got one...a soft kick to the legs. To describe it as a violent assault, as the MRP did, was ridiculously over the top. Red card, mandatory 1 week suspension...move on everyone. Many people here saying the original decision of the MRP was fair or not severe enough would not be saying the same thing if it involved a player from their own club.