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Opinion
On a weekend in which 20 goals were scored and a couple of dramatic comebacks were made, it’s a shame the biggest talking point was another hugely contentious VAR decision.
Maybe it’s time to split the A-League Men in two. The Australian Professional Leagues could have a league dedicated solely to relentlessly nitpicky refereeing, and the rest of us could watch a splinter league focussed on some actual football.
Because what we’ve got now – this carnival of officiating in which a football game occasionally breaks out – isn’t getting enough fans through the gates or watching the broadcasts.
Saturday night’s red card to Macarthur defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis was yet another example of the Video Assistant Referee taking a decision that didn’t need to be made and getting it wrong.
There’s no doubt Aspro brought down Sydney FC attacker Patrick Wood in the 34th minute.
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
On-field referee Alex King got his decision spot on when he brandished the yellow card to the Bulls defender, who was 30 metres from goal and had teammates Tomi Uskok and Matt Millar virtually alongside him.
But then Video Assistant Referee Shaun Evans interjected, and after a nearly three-minute review to re-referee a decision that had already been correctly made, King upgraded the yellow to a red and sent Aspro off.
The Bulls were already frustrated by a VAR decision to award the Sky Blues an early penalty after Robert Mak looked like he barged over Matt Millar in the box, only to then trip over the prostrate Millar on the ground.
“How can you actually visually see those incidents and come up with the wrong decision?” pondered Macarthur coach Dwight Yorke after the game.
Good question.
There cannot be a single person who thinks the A-Leagues have been improved by the introduction of video refereeing.
But like an addict who can’t admit they have a problem, the A-Leagues struggle on match after match, week after week with a universally despised system that actively discourages supporters from watching the games.
So it was that Aspro joined Brisbane Roar goalkeeper Jordan Holmes, Western United defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Melbourne City defender Thomas Lam in being sent off this weekend.
Topor-Stanley was initially handed a yellow for scything down Central Coast’s excitement machine Garang Kuol in Gosford on Saturday afternoon, but the veteran defender’s dismissal saw champions Western United fall in a heap.
In truth, the Mariners’ thrilling 4-2 win was no less than they deserved, after Jason Cummings turned in a virtuoso performance that saw two early strikes disallowed.
Cummings finally got his goal to start the comeback – and surely booked his place in the Socceroos’ World Cup squad in the process – as the Mariners fought from two goals down to overwhelm the visitors at the death.
It was a reminder of just how exciting the A-League Men can be when the focus is on the football and not an endless parade of dubious VAR decisions.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
There have been some genuine positives to come out of the start of the new campaign.
Dwight Yorke looks a real find as a coach and his star power – not to mention connection to one of the legends of the game in Sir Alex Ferguson, who stunned everyone by pitching up in Campbelltown during the week – helped Macarthur draw their largest-ever home attendance on Saturday night.
A newly refurbished Coopers Stadium is terrific news for Adelaide United fans too. Now all the Reds need to do is remind fans to come and fill it.
The broadcasts are an improvement on last season as well.
Say what you will about games shifting from the main channel to 10Bold, but the ability to watch a free-to-air game on Saturday night and again on Sunday is a great outcome for the league.
There’s much to like about this new A-League Men season.
If only we could convince someone at the APL we pay for tickets and streaming subscriptions to watch the football – not an endless collection of three-minute delays for more incorrect VAR decisions.