A goalkeeper in the Australian A-league has had a nine-month suspension for manhandling a referee reduced to six months AND split into two to allow him to play at the Beijing Olympics in August.
Now that's an appeal!
Danny Vukovic is a goalkeeper with 2007/2008 A-league grand finalists Central Coast Mariners and it was in that grand final match against Newcastle Jets when the young goalie lost his cool in the dying minutes and literally slapped the hand of referee Mark Shields.
What a let-off for Danny boy
His frustration stemmed from the referee's decision not to award his side a last gasp penalty and was subsequently sent off with a straight red-card. His offence was serious despite causing the referee little arm - it was nothing more than a slap on the hand at best - but the fact that he manhandled the ref did not go amiss with the FFA which gave him a 15-month ban of which six months of it suspended on a probationary basis and only activated if the player re-offends within a year of returning, meaning Vukovic would miss nine months of A-League action and the chance of representing Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (read more about this incident here)
However, an independent committee ruled on Wednesday that his suspension be further reduced meaning the player is free to resume playing in the A-League competition again on October 6 but more importantly, he is now eligible for selection to the Australian Olympic team.
If football wishes to avoid becoming the laughing stock - it actually already is with this decision - of the football codes in Australia then it needs some credibility. It's incredible that a player can he suspended until June - then be allowed to play in the Olympics - and then go back to being suspended until October!
Vukovic was fined $10,000 for his strike but nevertheless, people will say the chance of representing Australia at the Olympic games is priceless.
The Central Coast Mariners are reportedly at an advanced stage of negotiations to bring back former Manchester United and Sydney FC striker Dwight Yorke to Australian football.
According to some sources, the club's new marquee signing could be captured possibly within days on what is rumoured to be a minimum two-year deal. He will replace Socceroo John Aloisi who has signed for Sydney FC.
Dwight Yorke during his days at Sydney FC
It is believed Yorke's manager Simon Bayliff contacted Sydney FC last week, but the club were already in advanced negotiations with Aloisi, whom they signed on a $1 million-plus package.
The Mariners' move for Yorke would reunite him with majority shareholder Peter Turnbull, originally an investor with Sydney FC.
Yorke's mooted wages are believed to be less than his $1 million Sydney FC package in season I, when he skippered them to the A-League title - against the Mariners.
The Trinidad and Tobago attacker, who has always stated a desire to return to the A-League and pursue coaching, would likely live in Sydney.
Yorke, 36, scored seven goals in 22 matches for Sydney FC during the inaugural A-League season before returning to the UK with Premier League side Sunderland FC. It remains to be seen whether Yorke would want to return to Australia to play for a club other than Sydney. His manager at Sunderland, former Man Utd teammate Roy Keane, is keen to keep hold of the striker as evident by the striker's absence from the transfer list during the recent January transfer window.
Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic has been banned for 15 months - or effectively two-thirds of the next A-League season - for slapping referee Mark Shield in the dying minutes of the 2007-08 A-League grand final loss to Newcastle Jets on February 24, 2008.
Vukovic was found guilty of violent conduct after he appeared to slap Shield's hand in the final minute of the match when the Mariners were denied a last-gasp penalty. He was red-carded.
The 15-month ban of which six months of it suspended on a probationary basis and only activated if the player re-offends within a year of returning, means Vukovic will most likely miss nine months of A-League action. He is also most likely to miss the chance of representing Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics depending on whether the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) chooses to extend the ban to international matches.
Although the 15-month ban may sound harsh for a slap on the hand, the seriousness of the issue is that the player could have faced a potential life ban for the incident.
Vukovic has a week to appeal the decision but things are not looking too bright from him. At most, he will only be successful in reducing the ban by a month or two at best. The FFA will be weary of backing down from the 15-month ban for it may set a precedence for future incidents of a similar nature.
The Newcastle Jets has won the 2008 A-League championship after a 1-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The Jets took out the decider in front of a huge 36,354 crowd after Mark Bridge, capitalising on an uncharacteristic error from the experienced Vidmar, drilled home the only goal of the match in the 64th minute.
However, the game was marred by controversy after the Mariners had seemingly won a penalty to level the score-line in the dying minutes of the game. Referee Mark Shield waved away the strong penalty claim as James Holland appeared to flick the ball away with his elbow but it was Central Coast goalkeeper Danny Vukovic who ended up getting red-carded for berating the ref for the non-decision.
Retiring former Socceroos Tony Vidmar will have to live with his costly mistake after being dispossessed by Mark Bridge near the half-way line before going onto score the only goal of the game.
The veteran Central Coast defender said: "A mistake from myself has cost us the game and I'm going to have to live with that.
"I'll put my hand up.
"There weren't too many clear-cut chances (and it was) a defining moment in the game.
"I saw 'Bridgey' coming from the corner of my left eye and I thought he was going to come inside me so I've gone to leave it and it's got stuck between my feet."
Meanwhile, Joe Marston Medal winner Andrew Durante hailed winning the grand final to be the greatest moment of his injury-plagued career. Not only did he play a huge part in bringing the first ever national football title to Newcastle, he was also voted the best player on the day with a superb display.
"I knew that if we won it, it would be an unbelievable feeling. But this is bigger and better than anyone could have expected. And then to get the Joe Marston on top of that is just the greatest thing I could ever think of," he said.
Central Coast Mariner's marquee player Tony Vidmar has confirmed he will be hanging up his boots after the A-league Grand Final on February 24.
The 37-year-old has said that his aging body could no longer stand-up to the rigours of full-time football having had to rely on pain killers to get through much of his second season with the Mariners.
Speaking to the press, Vidmar said: "I've been playing with a lot of pain.
"I've had back trouble and there were times where I always had to take pain killers before games and that's gone through the whole season.
"Funny enough, it's worn off the last few months and it's been a lot better, in that way my body has improved but there is no way that I can continue on and have a long pre-season and even longer season.
"It was a difficult decision. Every day I would say yes, and then the next day I would say no, not to continue.
"I think after we won the minor premiership, the challenge of the Asian Champions League for next year, I thought maybe I could do that.
"But several days after that, definitely after the first leg of the Newcastle game, I think that's when my mind was made up."
The former Rangers and Socceroos defender has had a distinguished career at club and international level, most notably with the Scottish giants Rangers where he played over 100 club games and won the Scottish Championship and League Cup twice and the Scottish FA Cup three times.
Vidmar was inconsolable after the playoff loss in 2001
At international level, Vidmar was a mainstay in the Socceroos defence for many years and sits proudly at number three on the most-capped player's list with 76. His most enduring image in the green and gold remains his tearful exit in Uruguay following Australia's failed World Cup qualification bid in 2001. He later gained revenge by helping Australia qualify for the 2006 World Cup in a playoff against the same side in 2005.
Sadly, his dream of playing at the World Cup finals never materialised due to an irregular heart rhythm which led to his own withdrawal from Guus Hiddink's squad. Following surgery to correct the irregularity, he was given the green light to resume his playing career. Vidmar announced his international retirement after the friendly fixture against Paraguay in October 2006.
The Socceroos legend will take a well deserved holiday after the A-league 2008 grand final before deciding on his future which looks likely to include football in either a coaching or media capacity.
Thanks for the memories and happy retirement mate!
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