Melbourne Victory head coach Arthur Diles criticised a controversial refereeing decision following his team’s 1-0 defeat to Melbourne City in the historic Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final.
Diles claimed Victory were denied a “clear handball” in the 80th minute when the ball struck City’s Germán Ferreyra.
“It’s a clear hand ball,” Diles said post-match.
“But apparently that’s not a handball if it comes off his own player… I don’t understand it. That’s their job. My job is to worry about the players.”
Despite the heartbreak, Diles praised his squad’s efforts.
Thrust into the head coach role after Patrick Kisnorbo’s sudden departure in December, Diles guided Victory to a Grand Final after finishing fifth and defeating Western Sydney Wanderers and premiers Auckland FC in the finals.
“It’s a result of one match that didn’t go our way, and it doesn’t cut short the success of our season,” said Diles, expressing pride in his players and staff.
“We fell a little bit short, not through a lack of trying… but we wake up tomorrow morning, we look forward again and we bounce back.”
Source: A-League.
