The key man for the Central Coast Mariners is their goalkeeper, Danny Vukovic. I know it’s unusual to suggest that a goalkeeper that you’ve probably never heard of is key for a team that includes two players who were recently called up to the national squad, however, over the three years of the Central Coast Mariners’ time in the A-League, no man has been more crucial than Vukovic. The fact that they can’t live without him is especially pertinent now.

In the A-League Grand Final, Vukovic was sent off for striking a referee after making contact with the referee’s arm during a climactic final minute while arguing for a penalty (he was up to attempt a late equaliser) after a clear handball from a Newcastle Jets player.

The Football Federation Australia (FFA) has held a trial and an appeal for Vukovic, resulting in a nine-month suspension and a further three months if he re-offends. This means the Central Coast Mariners will be without the services of Vukovic until November 24, which would be about Round 14, two-thirds of the way through the 2008-09 A-League season. By then, it could all be over for the Central Coast Mariners’ defence of their Premiership. On top of all this, Vukovic is the goalkeeper for the Olympic side and is facing losing his Olympic Games opportunity.

‘After Vukovic’s red card in a match against Sydney, the Mariners went on to concede five goals, and then another five the following week.’

After Vukovic’s red card in a match against Sydney, the Mariners went on to concede five goals, and then another five the following week. While understudy Matthew Trott performed reasonably well and those statistics are a bit harsh to him, it does show what happens when Vukovic isn’t there.

"While we'd never condone the actions – it was a bad error of judgement on Danny's behalf,” said Mariners’  chairman Lyall Gorman. “We'd like to think we can get some relativity into this, so people understand what stripping an Olympic career from someone means."

The issue isn’t that he has been punished, it’s the severity of the punishment and the lack of consistency shown by the FFA. Earlier in the season, Newcastle Jets’ eventual player of the year award winner Joel Griffiths punched an assistant referee in the groin. He escaped further punishment due to the fact that he had been issued with a yellow card. The FFA argued that FIFA regulations wouldn’t allow them to suspend him further.