Comets slam coach ban

By Gavin Staindl
THE Casey Comets Soccer Club has slammed Football Federation Victoria for its handling of charges against one of its coaches.
Casey was fined $3000, stripped of three premiership points and Ian Williamson told he could not coach for the rest of the year at a tribunal hearing last Wednesday night.
Williamson allegedly questioned a decision by referee Melanie Closter during last Sunday’s draw to Altona in the Women’s Premier League.
Williamson was evicted from the ground mid way through the first half, but says the FFV ruling about eviction from the technical box is so unclear a coach could be evicted “for wearing the wrong coloured shirt”.
“Football Federation Australia and FIFA have guidelines for what constitutes a coach being evicted, but the FFV doesn’t,” Williamson said.
“The area is so grey that a coach could be wearing the wrong coloured shirt or an odd hat and the referee can evict the coach.
“A referee can walk into a game and evict anyone, because they don’t need to state a reason.”
Closter, however, said Williamson was evicted because he was questioning her calls.
Williamson denied the claim, stating he asked Closter why his player was being sent off because of a blood rule. When he found out the reason she was sent off, he proceeded to add “we’ll take care of the injured player, you just get on with the game”.
Closter asked Williamson to turn his focus away from the injured player and towards her and when he didn’t, she said “coach, if you do not face me, I’ll ask you to leave”.
Williamson turned and faced her, but was told to leave.
Appalled at the decision, Williamson, along with six witnesses, took the matter to the FFV tribunal.
But after nearly two hours of deliberation, the FFV tribunal adjudicator explained that despite being severely overwhelmed by evidence to the contrary, he backed the referee because her “statement was affirmative and confident”.
A spokesperson for the FFV admitted yesterday there was not an explicit rule constituting the expulsion of a coach, but there was an understanding among referees they could take action if a coach doesn’t act responsibly.
“The referee can take action against team officials who fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner and may, at his (or her) discretion, expel them from the field of play and its immediate surrounds,” the spokesperson said.
“(A decision) does hinge on the discretion of the referee … but all referees are trained to give warnings for breaches of the rules before deciding on an expulsion.”