Match 2 vs Macarthur | Sat 9th Jan | 7.05pm | SS7

I wrote FFA a letter:

We demand an investigation into the referee from Stephen Lucas and his diving at a difficult time in such an important match.

We ask for an examination of the grassland that was not suitable for the Phoenix team, while the bulls players seem to be wearing shoes that cling to the long grass, so we saw Phoeni SC players fall during the game, while Bulls players are steady.

FIFA should propose an investigation into the diving of the pussy Bulls teamand their diving at a difficult time of such an important match. !!!! The judgment is not fair enough

We ask for an examination of the VAR system which was not suitable for the Phoenix team and doubts that the Bulls players are wearing shoes clinging to the long grass, so we saw Australian players falling during the game, while the players of Bulls steadfast

If that proves to be the case, the result of the match must be canceled and Bulls is legally lost under the international law of FIFA 3/0 and thus becomes 3 points for the Phoenix.

??

I reckon in 2 weeks when we play the Jets we will smash them for 4.

Bloody Franjic kept Macarthur in the game in the first half. After the disgusting red card decision, the boys did well to hold on.
Marinovic will be unhappy with the goal. 
McGazza, Bally, Clayton were all very good. Laws, Devere and Payne were strong. Our midfield again outplayed the oppo. Uli made some very nice contributions. 
Sub Ridenton did well too. 

Like

You would say Ridenton played well even if he never got on!

Could have had Parkhouse instead...? Which would we prefer? Haha

I get your point, but I dont think we're quite good enough to expect to have put games to bed at half time just yet! The Bulls are a good team on paper, and yet we were cruising at 60 minutes when the red occured. Wouldn't have expected much to change without the red and with 11 vs 11 would have finished 0 - 1 or 0 - 2 no doubt.

Everyone in the starting 11 deserves their place right now, will be good to see Piscopo off the bench vs the Jets. Laws and Devere are potentially a better CB pairing than Devere and Taylor. Lewis grew into the game and it looks like Talay reminded McGarry he's allowed to back himself going forward. Ball ran his ass into the ground as always, and deserved his goal. Away kit looks sweet.

Let's be honest here, the red card was an embarrassing decision, will the League overturn it though? They should if they review the same footage as what the referee saw. However, I don't think the League nor the Referees Association will have the testicles to admit the mistake and rescind it.

There is contact. Have to ask the refs on here what would count as clear and obvious error.

This! +1

nice write up from Piney, not paywalled:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/football-wellingt...

yes, well put together article

Haven’t seen such a strange Jekyll and Hyde performance over the two halves by a referee since Sid Arsole in 1982 when NZ played Kuwait. From memory the only outcome from that match was NZ football was fined for lack of crowd control, even though Sid organised his bags to be transferred from his hotel room to the grounds at half time and also demanded a greater police presence at half time - all before the controversial awarding of a penalty in the second half. The referee’s performance beggars belief!

Remember it well. Funny thing is that nowadays it's entirely feasible VAR would've upheld the ref's shonky handball call that day. 

No suggestion of bias, ie the legendary suitcase full of cash, yesterday either, just your usual run of the mill A League officiating incompetence.

The issue for me is no one investigates these things - probably damnable incompetence but who knows. There is a pretty big betting market out there, and big dollars involved. Players get tried for nefarious activity and can have their careers ruined just for knowing and not reporting- yes we’ve employed one. But never referees?

This from  "Match Match-fixing: Football referees’ attitudes and experiences" by Jonas Visschers, Letizia Paoli & Abhishek Deshpande in 

"Crime, Law and Social Change" Crime, Law and Social Change volume 74, pages 77–95(2020):

"The main findings can be summarized as follows: (1) approximately 44% of the referees believes that at least one in ten Belgian football games is fixed; (2) 41% of the referees considers the likelihood of match-fixing in football being disclosed (very) low; (3) only 11% of the referees is aware of at least one protected reporting system for match-fixing; (4) 23.5% of the referees has already witnessed or suspected match-fixing in football; and (5) only 12% of the referees who witnessed or suspected match-fixing reported the only/last case of match-fixing they witnessed or suspected".

still can’t get over that sharkehouse of a reffing performance. And who was the dickhead alongside slater who was convincing himself he saw something?

Beñat was class. What a player.

I heard that the Nix might be appealing the card. I hope they do, Not that it will get rescinded.

Dome's had an admission from the referees boss that the card was wong, the incident going to VAR was wrong, and they should have looked at the studs going into Rufer. However he seems to think its unlikely that the card will get rescinded as (from Domeys tweet) "once it's given, they do not look at whether the red card was right or wrong, just whether any card could be given by any ref ever. Therefore to overturn is MUCH higher threshold" 

In practice it appears that the threshold to go back and rescind a red card is higher than to overturn a decision in game,which seems backwards to me. 

While we haven't had a red card overturned in the last 10 years (despite many incidences where that should have been the case) we did have one back in 2011 when Nick Ward's red was rescinded. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/5803651/Repl...

From memory, he was already on a yellow so he actually got quite lucky that the ref decided to give a straight red. Tim Brown also got sent off in that game after receiving a ridiculous second yellow for 'time wasting' in the final minute of a game we were winning 2-0. He picked up the ball for a throw in then dropped it for another player and that was apparently enough to warrant a yellow.

still looking back it was wonderful to watch that game after the doom and gloom at various points this year. We have a really good team playing great football that is attractive and exciting to watch. Lewis and McGarry look like great players coming through, Laws has hardly put a foot wrong, we've got Piscopo to come back. 

Off the bench there is Ridenton and Te Atawhai H-W pushing the starting team, and Hemed has yet to announce himself, but given every indication he will. As well our current top equal scorer Muratovic and Wayno.

Considering the year that was an exciting game of football and I'm really looking forward to the season.

For what its worth I think based on the last two games we can feel pretty positive about our performances. As a team we look good and it doesnt look as though the player changes have n4egatively affected us. Laws looks good in defense and is working well with De Vere and keeping TAHW out of the squad at the moment, Mcgarry looks like a good replacement for Libby. Devlin and Rufer are controlling the middle of the park well and Hemed looks like he will cause opposition defenses some issues. 

Its tough to ignore crappy referee calls etc which will no doubt impact the next game, but all things being equal we'll be in the finals mix this season.

Everyone is looking decent, except Sotorio IMO. Has a great work ethic and all, but he just isn't a finisher and his distribution/touch costs us too much ball. Payne has been a little off with his crossing as well and makes silly fouls as well, but at least looks to be up to standard.

Thought we played some great football in the first half and really dominated. Good early signs considering its only our second game and some of our imports are not quite 90min match fit yet. 

The red card really spoiled the game. It would have been interesting to see how we went for the last 30min or so without Hemed and Davila on the park but still 11 v 11. But that's not the way it turned out. Still good shift to pull off a draw, we were most definitely tiring badly at the end there. 

Frustrating all the fouls to Davila every time he got the ball. Ref should have done more about that. As mentioned good shift by some of our new recruits. Laws and McGarry esp. Marinovic was a bit off all game, alot of his goal kicks went straight out and uncharacteristically beaten at his near post. Hope it was just an off day and he can recover from that injury in the next two week.

Surprised to see TAHW not in the match day squad. is he still getting up to full fitness? He did have an injury in pre season. Laws is doing great but I still have concerns over centre back cover. (James Musa is without a club at the moment ?)

So who do we have to replace Rufer>?

Maybe Clayton Lewis could also drop in there if Piscopo is fit for a start.

Shark goal to concede. Terrible turnover from Sotirio, Laws ball watching losing track of Susaeta and giving him way too much space, and Marinovic far too easily beat at the near post.

Is there an anticipated date/time for any hearing and/or any decision to appeal?

One News expected a decision this evening (they said said "next couple of hours" which would make it...about now)

Domey's just tweeted:

There's no question there was contact. But the refs had to decide whether Rufer deliberately instigated the contact, or recklessly acted knowing that it could lead to that kind of contact. If it is clear and obvious that the contact was accidental and can't be said to be Rufer's fault, then issuing a red card for it would be a clear and obvious error. (I Am Not A Ref, though)

I think the guidelines for using VAR should include a requirement that any time it's a question of deciding whether or not a player did something deliberately, the last replay the ref watches must be at normal speed and cover the whole incident. The brain can't adjust the perception of a player's reaction speed in line with how much a replay is slowed down.

fA n MRP still trying to get the bomb shelter erected 

1x Match suspension -  fudgeing bullshark.

that's lower than the minimum 2 match ban for "violent conduct" - it's still shark though

Absolute joke of a decision, despite how unsurprising it is.

Any other team or any other player except Matt Simon the board would have overturned it. We always get ripped off!

So the ref gets it wrong and Rufer is punished. Must be new metrics/Rules...and No apology for getting it very wrong.

It sounds like it was the best possible decision under the existing rules. So they need to change the rules.