Former Socceroos hard man Danny Tiatto’s prior record is likely to cost him when A-League officials deal with an offensive gesture televised nationally.
Tiatto flipped his middle finger while his image was being shown on the Etihad Stadium big screen during Brisbane Roar’s 2-1 loss to Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.
The gesture also featured on television, with replays, a situation sure to anger Football Federation Australia (FFA).
At the time the Roar enforcer was being booed by Melbourne supporters after he had minutes earlier been shown a yellow card for a crude bodycheck on Victory’s ex-Brisbane winger Robbie Kruse.
The FFA’s match review panel is not due to consider the incident until Tuesday morning, after the remaining two matches of the A-League round are played on Monday.
But they are almost certain to cite Tiatto, in light of the incident’s effect on the image of the game, particularly the example it would have sent to children.
And while he might otherwise have escaped with a fine, a suspended sentence for a previous offence is poised to punish him.
Tiatto was fined $2,000 and suspended for one match for his furious reaction to being sent off in the first leg of Brisbane’s semi-final against Central Coast Mariners in February.
In what has proved a stroke of bad timing for Tiatto, that ban was suspended “pending any reoffence up to and including Round 9 of the A-League 2009/10 season,” — the current round.
With Saturday night’s match the last in which the suspended sentence was hanging over him, the incident could cost him his spot for Sunday’s home clash with Gold Coast United.
That would be a major blow to a side already without Brazilian attacker Henrique for up to two months after he injured his knee on Saturday night.
Melbourne’s win put them on top of the ladder, having rebounded with three straight victories after a slow start to their title defence.
But either fourth-placed Sydney FC or the fifth-placed Mariners will jump to the top of the table with a win in their clash at Sydney Football Stadium on Monday.
A draw would not be enough for either to improve their current positions.
In Monday’s other game, Adelaide United can enter the top six if they down struggling Newcastle Jets at Hindmarsh Stadium.
On Friday night, Wellington Phoenix held Gold Coast to a scoreless draw, while a 10-man North Queensland managed a 1-1 result in Perth on Saturday night.
But the Fury lost Socceroo Shane Stefanutto to a serious knee injury, the defender out for the rest of the season and also out of World Cup contention.
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