Opinion by Andrew Gourdie
We all knew what was coming. Andrew Durante was literally biting his lip.
The bear didn't take much poking.
When Fox Sport's pitchside reporter asked Durante to "talk us through that second half", the lip slipped from his clenched teeth and the Wellington Phoenix skipper delivered a succinct, earth-shattering summation:
"The first one was offside from what I saw. The second one he's dived, he's a cheat. In my book if he's dived, he's a cheat. And I think the referees were shocking tonight."
It was controversial, and correct.
The A-League match review panel meet today to discuss Durante's rant, and the points he referred to in his explosive 10-second outburst. It won't be a short meeting.
The first thing they need to decide is whether Jeronimo dived. If they conclude he did, they will rescind Ben Sigmund's red card and rubber-stamp Durante's assertion about the Argentine, who should cop a two-match ban.
They may have a tougher job ruling on Durante's thoughts on the referees. Players and coaches must always be careful when commenting on referees, and rightly so. But it's hard to argue with the facts: Cassio's goal was offside, and it wasn't the only incorrect call to have a bearing on the outcome of the match.
If they opt to punish Durante, then does Jarred Gillett deserve to be punished as well? The match review panel should ask themselves, what's worse: poor officiating, or a player commenting on poor officiating? The standard of refereeing in the A-League is not at the level it should be. Jarred Gillett - the 2011/12 referee of the year - is considered the best of a very average bunch.
Whatever the outcome of today's meeting, the Wellington Phoenix must back their skipper. After boldly declaring his aspirations for the coming season during the week, Durante has once again showed the strong leadership this team needs if it's to achieve on-field success.
By saying what most of us were thinking, Durante also ensured the Phoenix grabbed the headlines after a loss which would have otherwise warranted a brief mention among most media outlets. His passionate tirade will appeal to a wider audience, which could translate to bums on seats at Westpac Stadium.
If the match review panel decide to sting Durante in the pocket, the club's owners should be happy to pay the fine.
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