Central Coast Mariners boss Alen Stajcic was unhappy with the refereeing during the recent 3-2 defeat to Adelaide United.
The Reds’ skipper Stefan Mauk went down dramatically following little contact with defender Ruon Tongyik a little after 30 minutes, which saw the man in charge point to the spot. This was followed by an awkward tussle with Josh Nisbet’s arm in the second half that influenced the referee to signal for a penalty.
As if to rub salt into the wounds of the Mariners, defender Kye Rowles gave away a handball for a third spot kick towards the end of the game.
All three penalties were masterfully converted by striker Tomi Juric to give Adelaide all three points on the night.
“The first one, no chance,” Stajcic told reporters after the match. “The second one was a bit soft.
“They make mistakes as well, it’s a game. You can’t worry about that now, it’s done. What do you want me to say?
“They made decisions. There are four pairs of eyes, five pairs of eyes so they’re all paid employees and they’re all paid to do their job, that’s their decision.
“What are we going to do? We can’t change it now, whether it’s right or wrong.”
Despite the defeat, Central Coast remain at the top of the table, albeit having played two more than Brisbane Roar and four more than Sydney FC. They will have a break for a little less than a fortnight before taking on Perth Glory on March 2.
