Wellington Phoenix boss Giancarlo Italiano said he was ‘gutted’ for his captain Alex Rufer after he was shown a ‘harsh’ red card in their 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday.
Wellington Phoenix moved six points clear at the top of the Isuzu UTE A-League on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar, but the victory came at a cost with captain Alex Rufer set to suspended after being shown a red card.
Bozhidar Kraev’s second minute goal was enough for the Nix to claim all three points against a Roar side who could not beat goalkeeper Alex Paulsen despite eight shots on target.
The major flashpoint of the afternoon arrived in the 81st minute, with Rufer dismissed following a VAR review of an incident which saw his studs connect with the calf of Henry Hore, who was lying prone on the ground after a tangle between the two.
As referee Tim Danaskos brandished a red card in the direction of the Phoenix captain, tensions rose with several players involved in push and shove with Rufer at the centre of the action on his way out of the game.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Phoenix boss Giancarlo Italiano labelled the dismissal of his skipper ‘a bit harsh’, adding that he is ‘gutted’ for the midfielder, who has just returned from international duty with the New Zealand national team.
“I don’t want to speak too early, but I don’t understand how else he is supposed to go for the ball,” Italiano explained.
“The ball is on the ground, he’s won the ball the first time, won the ball the second time and on the third attempt, (the) player is on the ground and he is just going for the ball.
“I think in those moments to establish intent is such a hard thing to establish. I think it’s a bit harsh.
“That is the thing; so if you’re on the ground then you inherently have an advantage because if a player is not supposed to touch you, that allows him to get a free pass off the ground.
“So I think there should be a right to challenge in those moments, again you can’t be reckless. I don’t think he put his studs up, I just don’t understand how the referee or VAR can establish intent in that split-second.
“If there was a longer period where the player had to think about it I understand, but not in those moments.”
Asked if the club will appeal the decision, Italiano continued: “I’m not ruling anything out. It also depends on the severity of the red but if we go back on the video and it seems unfair, we will protect (Rufer).
“… It’d be a massive loss. He’s our captain, he’s been influential and he will continue to be that, even when he’s not playing.
“I think there’s an opportunity for someone to step in, contribute to the team. We have been about that all year. We’ve had a lot of injuries, a lot of players moving between positions as well which is quite taxing, even from a mental point, from a player’s point because they like being in one position. Everyone has stepped in, everyone has contributed, everyone has done really well.
“I’m gutted for (Rufer). Because again, he had the opportunity to go with the All Whites, I thought he played really well against Tunisia. And to come back and get a red card like that is just a bit of a shame.”
The Phoenix are now six points clear of the Central Coast Mariners at the top of the ladder, although Mark Jackson’s side – who had their unbeaten streak ended on Saturday night by Sydney FC – do have a game in hand due to their AFC Cup commitments.
Italiano was particularly happy with this victory, after a challenging international break with several players involved with New Zealand.
“I’m ecstatic because the international break is very skewed. I don’t like it,” he said.
“The fact that you don’t have a game and we had such a large chunk of our squad away and they’re coming from the other side of the world. I had essentially one day to prep.
“I had to make some big calls on players not starting them because I didn’t want to have a dynamic where I had five or six players that were gassed all playing at once. That is something you don’t get a feel of until you play the game.
“I’m delighted we got the three points like any other game. One thing I can safely say, that was our target for the year, to get 46 points. After the Newcastle game some of the boys spoke about that, I’m happy. Now every other point we get is a bonus.”
