Hyundai A-League chief Lyall Gorman and Gold Coast United CEO Clive Mensink have both praised the 10,146 fans who braved miserable conditions to see Sunday afternoon’s match against the Central Coast Mariners called off after 19 minutes.
Days of torrential rain on the Gold Coast turned the Skilled Park pitch into more of a mudbath than a football ground, prompting referee Chris Beath to declare the game over, ruining what was meant to be Clive Palmer’s celebration of the efforts made by Frank Lowy and the FFA in their bid for the 2022 World Cup.
The fact that so many redeemed their free tickets in such abhorrent weather showed there is still life in football on the Gold Coast, but Gorman said the ball is now in the community’s court to show their support once more, with Palmer offering $5 off the price for January 3’s match against Perth Glory if fans show their ticket from today’s abandoned game.
“It’s super, there’s no doubt about that. There were 25,000 (tickets registered) off the system which is awesome and it tells you there’s still a bit of oxygen up here, there’s still people who believe in the game and they’ve got to come and prove that now,” Gorman said.
“There are two telling home games coming up where they have to come back and really show Clive Palmer that it’s worthwhile from his point of view. I think it’s very encouraging.”
Gorman also declared that Beath made the only decision he could in the conditions.
“The referee is the sole arbitrator and if he thinks it’s unsafe, that’s it. It’s their job to look after players. If the ball stops and players are still anticipating it you start to get collisions and you risk injury,” he said.
“It’s not fair to risk careers, let alone a week or two of injury, for a bad decision just to force a game. It’s disappointing for the fans, it was a costly exercise for the club, it’s frustrating, but what do you do? We move on.”
Mensink said that despite a disappointing end to what was set to be an historic afternoon, the club was satisfied with the attendance, now the club’s record A-League home crowd, and delighted with the build-up to the free admission extravaganza.
“Even though we didn’t play, football is really the winner today. The whole lead-up this week has been very supportive and we had great support from the local community, local businesses and local media outlets,” Mensink said. “They’ve all really gotten behind this week and it’s just been a great effort all round from the Gold Coast.”
“We’re satisfied to get over 10,000 and it’s great for the supporters to get out here and show the boys their support for the Gold Coast. There were people still coming in as the game was called off and it’s very heartening. We’ve just got to wait and see when it’ll be rescheduled.”
