Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson has no issues with the move to appoint Jarred Gillett as referee for their grand final rematch with Brisbane Roar.
Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson has no issues with the move to appoint Jarred Gillett as referee for their grand final rematch with Brisbane Roar.
Gillett awarded a controversial 95th-minute penalty to the Roar when the sides met in the A-League decider last season, with Brisbane converting the spot kick through Besart Berisha and going on to win 2-1.
Glory host Brisbane at Patersons Stadium on October 7 and although Ferguson still insists Berisha’s fall in the box did not warrant a penalty, he said he had no problem with Gillett officiating any of Glory’s matches.
“I have nothing against the referee. In my opinion, he made a mistake, but we get on with it,” Ferguson said.
“Banning him for certain games I don’t think is the right way to go about it.
“You look at the whole game and how he refereed the game and I thought he handled it really well. It was just that one mistake – he didn’t do it deliberately to give Brisbane Roar the game.
“It was something he’d seen and he’s obviously given a penalty, but for him to referee any of our games in the future, I don’t have any problem with that.”
It was later revealed Gillett’s partner was on the books of the Roar’s media department, adding further fuel to the fire, but Ferguson said Gillett did a stellar job of refereeing Glory’s pre-season friendly with Melbourne Heart, a clash the Perth side won 5-0 last Saturday.
“He refereed our (friendly) game on Saturday against Melbourne Heart, so I have no problem at all,” Ferguson said.
“I thought, again, he handled that reasonably well. The crowd’s obviously not going to agree with everything, coaches are not going to agree with everything referees do.”
Perth’s blockbuster clash with Brisbane is now just 12 days away and Ferguson said his side’s focus was centred on the new season.
“We need to concentrate on getting a good start in the league and not actually thinking about the grand final,” he said.
“We’re at home but they’re a very good outfit, so it’s going to be a very tough game for us.
Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic was in a jocular mood when asked what sort of reception he believed Berisha can expect in Perth.
“I think he’s going to get a standing ovation, obviously,” Vukovic joked.
“It’s going to be pretty brutal for him out there but it’s to be expected.
“There was a lot of controversy surrounding him and the grand final and I’m sure he’s a big enough player to handle all that.”
