Nine-month ban for top Aussie keeper who slapped ref

The Newcastle Jets won the A-League grand final against the Mariners 1-0 - but the game ended in controversy when referee Mike Shields failed to see an obvious Jets handball in the box during injury time which should have given the Mariners a chance to level the game from the penalty spot.

Instead there were ugly scenes as the Mariners swarmed around the referee, shouting and gesturing for a penalty, and it was during this melee that Mariners keeper Danny Vukovic slapped the hand of the referee.

The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) subsequently suspended Vukovic for nine months, plus a further six months probation for violent conduct. Yet his is the same body who did not suspend Newcastle's Joel Griffiths after he struck an assistant referee.

Vukovic's ban means he will not be available for A-League duty until November, but his Olympic dream may still be alive. The FFA is yet to decide whether the ban extends to all games or just the A-League, meaning he could still play for Australia in Beijing this August.