In a week where Adelaide United will host the first ever A-League Pride Games, everyone involved in Australian football should be feeling a lump in their throat, as Saturday night’s fixtures draw ever nearer.
The Adelaide women will take to the pitch at 4:20pm with Melbourne Victory as their opponent and immense semi-final ramifications circling the contest. In short, Victory are stumbling, Adelaide holding firm and Perth Glory looking to sneak into the final fortnight of the season.
It is one of the most closely fought and potentially exciting culminations to an A-League Women season for some time and Sydney FC’s seemingly obvious claims on the title have been thrown into disarray after a recent loss and some indifferent form.
Just eight points separate the top five and while the rest of the field remains well off the pace, the competitiveness in the women’s league this season has been refreshing and most importantly, interesting for the viewer.
Alongside corporate partners McDonald’s and Flinders University, Adelaide United has championed the cause when it came to hosting the matches, with a specific emphasis on inclusivity in football participation.
Such a focus and the continued stern rejection of the bigoted and venomous vitriol often directed at people who choose to love in a slightly different way to what their local church might endorse, is morally correct and entirely appropriate.
Reds defender Josh Cavallo and his decision to ‘come out’ in October of 2021 has no doubt been a key motivator behind the decision to host a duo of pride games in Adelaide that, frankly, will see the A-Leagues merely catch up with initiatives in other codes that have been well established and successful for some years now.
Joshua Cavallo (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
The football community as a whole should be ashamed that it appears to be last cab off the rank when it comes to actively and symbolically supporting the LGBTIQ+ community at some stage of the home-and-away seasons; letting down in the most disappointing way the members of whom play and participate in the Australian game.
It may have taken too long, yet at least the expression of pride in the A-Leagues has arrived and no doubt Adelaide United will do it in brilliant style on Saturday night. There will be a number of gay women playing in the crucial clash with Victory, before Cavallo becomes the focus when the home side tackles the Mariners immediately after.
However, in the most awfully ironic way, the A-Leagues should well be feeling a sense of shame and embarrassment, rather than pride, as what could have been a landmark occasion approaches.
As one of the most avid and consistent fans of A-League football since entering the journalistic space in 2015, I felt nothing approaching anywhere near a sense of pride as the debacle of injustice unfolded between Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park on Tuesday night.
Frankly, it was farcical.
After a to and fro first half, the visitors scored late and appeared likely to enter the sheds with a single-goal lead before utter madness took over. Marco Tilio was brought down just outside the box with seconds remaining and referee Shaun Evans ventured to the sideline to review a moment that seemed fairly clear cut to everyone bar the staunchest of City fans.
With initial contact clearly outside the area and a heckling coach in the form of Patrick Kisnorbo standing nearby and adding pressure to the situation, Evans erred, fell for Kisnorbo’s nonsense and awarded the worst of penalties.
When Mathew Leckie stomped on Lewis Miller’s foot in the dying stages of the second half, it appeared the Mariners would finally receive some justice and level the match up at 3-3, yet Evans produced the unbelievable yet again by waving away the penalty appeals, despite the obvious contact and Miller in clear agony post-game.
In a week where pride was meant to be the theme, embarrassment and shame took over.
One wonders whether referee Evans has ever played football, such was the madness of the views he formed on the side line. Yet putting his incompetence and poor judgement to the side for a moment, the broader impact on the A-Leagues brand as a whole should not be understated.
The last thing the A-Leagues needed heading into a race for finals positions on the women’s side that is full of fervour and a Saturday of pride certain to capture hearts and make a serious statement to the bigots that sadly maintain a voice in Australian life, was a referee displaying little common sense or knowledge of the game.
As humans, we all make mistakes. Yet one would like to think most could avoid two in 90 minutes when given ample visual evidence to do so.
Pete Rodeka
Roar Rookie
Just three short months ago (Friday 3rd December) at WIN Stadium the scoreline read Wellington Phoenix 0 v Western Sydney Wanderers 2. Some days later it was reported that the Nix received an apology from referees' boss Nathan Magill for two VAR errors made in this match. He said that Video Assistant Referee Kris Griffiths-Jones should have noticed two fouls and referred back to referee Stephen Lucas. At least the referral back was achieved in this instance. Progress?
GARRY
Guest
Totally agree with evrything you said..I like the idea of taking VAR away from managers/coaches sight particular... i also see no reason for managers/coaches being allowed on the sideline. Like EPL leave them in the stands nearby. Eventually we need more games,2 divisions AND a non summer season but the issue remains money. Obviously paramount initially wants a summer package but maybe long term they can be convinced theres better money in moving teh season & allowing play to improve.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Thanks Stu.......we were robbed in that GF.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Well, due to new international sanctions maybe one of them might find life a little difficult
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
exactly buddy, we have an endemic problem, but remember out there somewhere lurks the shark, the monster in the darkness, controversy embodied.........Kurt Ams!!!
Robert Pettit
Guest
As a foundation MCFC member Evan's refereeing was embarrassing. It should have taken only one brief review of the VAR monitor to award a penalty as a result of Leckie's clear foul. The sheepish look on Leckie's face was revealing. A possible solution is to position the VAR monitor on the opposite side of the field to the coaching boxes. What is much more embarassing is the harm the AL club owners are doing to their brand. The ALM (and also ALW) season is too short to fully develop the talents of players. The season needs to extend to at least 33 (and preferably more) home and away games run over nine months. Also the season needs to run from March to November, like most of the professional leagues in the AFC. There are compelling reasons for reverting to the cooler months. A vital one is that the speed and intensity of matches will lift, creating a better spectacle for fans and the TV audience. How does a business expect to succeed when it puts on on a second rate product over the hot and intense light of the summer months? The declining average crowds in recent seasons and the dismal levels in 2021-22 amply highlight that summer soccer has run its course in Australia. Professional women's and men's football is robust enough to prosper by competing directly with the NRL and AFL.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
a little known fact is i was actually asked to post on here (from someone that shall remain nameless) i dont frequent reddit or any other forums because the members here seem to be more 'maturer' then the other ones on social media. i go to bed super late and am up super early due to time differences, that gives me plenty of time to write whatevers on my mind. if i was to guess, i'd say my posts are more moderated than yours - in fact i know they are. mine are very close to racial lines, misconduct within the game and accusations against people within the sport (i see my 'pride' post didnt make it up) the current editor, i believe is a football man - you should reach out to him
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
happy to say allegedly if it makes you feel better. theres a reason why news outlets wont run the story, i wrote my own expose on the club for here (naming names and who's who) and wanted my sources verified before it was published. i was unwilling to do that, because if i did these couple of people would lose there jobs for breaking NDA's
Stevo
Roar Rookie
The Leckie’s incident was inexplicable. Contact was clear, the foul was clear. What was there to doubt? I had written that off as a pen and was contemplating a drawn game. But no.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Surely he wasn’t that bad to have slipped through the net!
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Stuart Don't be.... use this to create change .... the readership of this site is in decline and in part its because its become way way way to cautious.... almost as if it wants to offend no-one .... Football needs some hard hitting articles that ask difficult questions... and for me this site won't... however it has always allowed AFL negative posters who have no interest other than to derail.... I will keep reading and wait for change and if it improves come back but not for now...
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
yeah Buddy, I am heading that way ... but it's only a paper entry after all
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
I can't help but think back to Jeff Kennett in the late 90s trying to pump up excitement for the Melbourne Docklands urban renewal project...........and he was going to get private investors to build Docklands Stadium as a soccer stadium and try to host the soccer world cup. And..........crickets........it all looked nice on paper and in design illustrations. But no interest from private sector without the AFL involved. We know that AAMI park was built 100% Govt funded - which stands it well apart from Marvel and the MCG. It's still - a major hurdle - to get a soccer stadium built privately in Melbourne. If it's central to the precinct and the rest of the land.......but if it's separated too much from that?? Anyway - - interesting watching on.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
This breaks my heart to read.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Maybe but a human should read what the computer rejects
Stuart Thomas
Expert
As an NRL club member and 40 year viewer, I'd suggest the rules are so unclear and fluid that few are really sure of exactly where things stand in the modern NRL world. Thus refereeing errors appear almost indecipherable.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
LH/Chris/ Buddy Thanks for the kind words...... Maybe I am having a bad day... But its by no means the first time my posts have never been published and given my background I am always careful not to put either the site or myself even in close danger of it being challenged... Seems to me roughly four years ago some major changes with editors and what could be said changed..... the site IMO has gone downhill IMO ever since and IMO without AA and what he brings the Football aspect of this site would struggle... But its the inability to get first key messages out... secondly as I see it the new editors not being Football knowledgeable and therefore some really great articles get lost and others of low value get well placed.... On balance I am tied of posts going to the mods and published some time latter or not at all... So for now I am over this site ... but good luck in the future....
Stuart Thomas
Expert
I must admit to being a little disappointed with Cavallo's form. Thought he had the chance to nail down a back four position but the good form of the Reds has been far from due to anything he has done.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Not very nice. Has been some great football played and crowds are still five-fold what the NSL was drawing in its final days. Maybe ten-fold actually.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Fan vote live on that screen. Both decisions would have been made correctly!