fedelta
Well-Known Member
Sebastian Hassett *tosser*
July 16, 2008
CENTRAL Coast Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic has again become entangled in controversy after being yellow-carded for dissent "by word or action" while on the bench for a trial game against the New Zealand under-23 team in Wahroonga.
Although ineligible to play in yesterday's match at Knox Grammar School, Vukovic is in full training with the club and participated in an intensive pre-match warm-up before taking his spot on the bench.
The booking was triggered after newly re-signed Mariners midfielder Andre Gumprecht was brought down in a rough tackle near halfway, which sparked a push-and-shove episode between the two sets of players.
Incensed at the treatment being dished out, Vukovic is believed to have verbally lashed out at the referee, as did much of the Mariners bench. A witness said the referee told Vukovic that if he did the same thing again, he would ordered from the sidelines.
Central Coast executive chairman Lyall Gorman said he was frustrated to hear of the 23-year-old's outburst so soon after the drawn-out dramas of his appeal against a ban for striking referee Mark Shield during last season's A-League grand final.
"Challenging referees' decisions is something we want to totally obliterate from our game this year, and I'll be finding out in the morning and getting a first-hand account of why any player from our bench was questioning a referee's decision," Gorman said last night.
"I don't care whether it's heat of the game, emotion or whatever it is, we don't question the referee and it's something we'll need to drill into our players again after this incident."
"As I understand it, the whole bench was questioning the decision, but for some reason Danny was given the card on behalf of the bench. Whether Danny is going to become a more vulnerable target for referees this year is another interesting question, but we'd hope it wouldn't be the case."
Gorman said his club had already introduced measures in a a bid to end problems Mariners players have faced with referees'.
"I'd be disappointed with any of our players for challenging a referee after what we've been through this year with Danny's series of events, and just in our own camp last week we had an Olympic sports psychologist working through the players' roles on the field, their responsibilities and the need for discipline," he said.
"We've got to address that in the morning, first thing. I'm not happy with that at all."
Vukovic is already down to miss the five-match period between rounds three and seven of the A-League season - as well as the entire Beijing Olympics campaign - for striking Shield in the closing stages of the A-League grand final. A three-month suspended period sits on the end of that ban, although it is unclear as to what conditions Football Federation Australia has settled on in terms of invoking the suspended period.
The original penalty drew outrage when first handed down. It was successfully appealed so that a ban would apply over two split periods, allowing Vukovic to play at the Olympics. Then FIFA intervened, reinstating much of the original penalty and ending Vukovic's dream of representing Australia in Beijing.
The Herald understands Vukovic would need to be issued with a red card for an incident concerning the referee during his probationary period for the suspended period to be invoked.
Now on the lookout for a third keeper to boost their goalkeeping stocks, the Mariners would be devastated if his suspension was extended even further.
The Mariners now have just one eligible keeper on their books, 19-year old Andrew Redmayne. However, in Vukovic's absence yesterday, the Central Coast native did himself no favours after letting in two soft goals as the Mariners lost 2-1.
Explains a lot about the culture of 'no personal responsibility' in football though.
