Wellington Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert faces a possible FFA sanction after failing to front a post-match media conference in the wake of his club’s 3-0 defeat by Melbourne Victory on Friday night.
Wellington Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert faces a possible FFA sanction after failing to front a post-match media conference in the wake of his club’s 3-0 defeat by Melbourne Victory on Friday night.
Herbert, regarded as one of the best coaches at dealing with the media, bizarrely didn’t turn up as scheduled after the match, with the match commissioner saying he had already boarded the team bus and left.
Members of the media had already been kept waiting some 50 minutes after the match when it was discovered that Herbert had left without fulfilling one of his mandatory duties.
It appears it could have been a simple oversight, with Victory officials indicating Herbert had intended to go to the press conference when they had spoken to him after the match.
If Herbert was to receive a fine it would compound a difficult night where he saw his team comprehensively outplayed by the out-of-contention home side.
The defeat puts a home final under threat for the Phoenix, who now may have to win their final game against Central Coast next week to ensure they finish fourth or third and get to host either the fifth or sixth placed team at Westpac Stadium in the first week of the finals.
