Mariners interim coach Warren Moon did not mince his words about the “disgraceful” actions of Brisbane Roar staffers on Wednesday, but his former team is not accepting the “misleading and irresponsible” narrative around the ugly half time tunnel stoush.
It was not the way any person who took to the field or watched on from the stands hoped the Roar’s 2-1 win against the Central Coast Mariners would unfold on New Year’s Eve, with three yellow cards shown in the space of five minutes.
The first was shown to Roar performance coach Carlo Chincarini before attention turned to the club’s head coach, Michael Valkanis, who was shown two yellows back-to-back.
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Referee Alex King booked Valkanis for his attitude when protesting calls during play. A sarcastic applause for King by Valkanis in response to the first yellow only called for a second card to be raised, meaning his time on the sidelines was up and he was marched from the stadium.
The Roar have seen the most cards of any side in the A League this season.
However, it was not long until tensions reached a new level, with a bizarre altercation taking place in the tunnel soon after the half time whistle was blown.
Vision of the incident shown on Paramount+ showed Mariners sporting director Matt Simon arguing with players and pulling them away from each other in the tunnel.
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Moon then revealed post-match that police were forced to intervene and investigate the incident in the tunnel, although he did not state what caused the heated display.
“The game wasn’t done, there was plenty to play for, the coach was sent off, that’s not a player, there is no disadvantage to the playing team,” Moon said
“It was a time for cool heads and the opposite happened to the point where there was police in the tunnel during half time.
“I’m quite bemused by it all to be perfectly honest.”
The Brisbane Roar did not have the same view of the ugly stoush, and instead issued a statement declaring Moon had misled the public about the events at half time.
Moon’s statement that police were forced to intervene were made clearer by the Roar, who stated “police were already present at the venue” at the time of the incident.
“Senior figures within the game have a responsibility to ensure that public commentary is accurate, fair, and does not make or imply serious allegations without foundation. That standard was not met on this occasion,” the Roar said in a statement.
“Those comments were inappropriate, irresponsible, and unsupported by any facts.
“At no time did the Brisbane Roar, its officials, or its coaching staff engage in conduct that brought the game into disrepute. Any suggestion otherwise is categorically rejected.
“Given the seriousness of the insinuations made and the reputational harm caused to the club, the Brisbane Roar is seeking legal advice in relation to the comments made by the opposing interim head coach, and is considering all available options.”
Moon admitted he was embarrassed to see the actions of those he formerly worked with at the Brisbane Roar, a team he was associated with for 20 years.
“Firstly, proudly a Brisbane Roar player and coach … but look, I’m just going to be honest and say, what I witnessed was a disgrace,” he added, when speaking post-match.
“They’re strong words, and I wish them all the best. They got the points, they are doing really well and I wish them all the success for the future, but that was an embarrassment, what happened before half time and then at half time in the tunnel.
“I don’t think that’s a true representative of the Brisbane Roar Football Club.”
The Roar were the first to find the back of the net in enemy territory, with former Mariner Michael Ruhs nailing a shot from close range to open the scoring.
Seven minutes later, the Mariners levelled the scores through Lucas Mauragis, who took a shot from the edge of the box after receiving a short corner in the 29th minute.
The scores remained level throughout all the drama that followed until Justin Vidic slotted the match-winner in the second minute of additional time.
The Brisbane Roar will return to action on Saturday when they host Wellington Phoenix, while the Mariners will travel to South Australia to face Adelaide United on Sunday.
