While avoiding a red card, Curtis Good of Melbourne Heart hasn’t escaped a suspension.
The teenage defender experienced a unique situation in the A-League, as referee Ryan Shepheard did not send him off during his team’s 3-0 defeat against Newcastle Jets last week, despite him receiving two yellow cards.
Late in the match, Good was cautioned again, but Shepheard was unaware of the prior booking and allowed him to continue playing.
On Monday, the A-League match review panel corrected the referee’s mistake by suspending Good for the Heart’s upcoming match against Gold Coast United at AAMI Park on Friday night.
“In spite of the referee’s failure to give Good an indirect red card, this is merely an administrative error, which does not change the fact that the player received two yellow cards in the same A-League match,” the panel stated.
This adds to the challenges for the Heart as they prepare for the Gold Coast showdown, having gone winless in their last eight matches and missing several key players due to injuries and Australian under-23 obligations.
Nonetheless, captain Fred is likely to make his return for the match against Gold Coast after demonstrating he has recovered from a groin issue by playing 30 minutes with the Heart’s youth team on Sunday.
The Heart has struggled without the Brazilian playmaker, failing to secure a win this season in his absence.
Meanwhile, the panel has upheld the controversial red card issued to Central Coast Mariners defender Trent Sainsbury during their 2-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory last week.
Mariners coach Graham Arnold expressed that the straight red card issued to Sainsbury for a challenge on Fabio from Victory was too harsh.
However, the panel confirmed the decision, along with a mandatory one-match suspension for Sainsbury.
As a result, he will be sidelined for their match against Wellington Phoenix at Bluetongue Stadium tomorrow.
by Buford Balony
