27 Mar 2015

Brisbane Roar coach cited for comments

7:29 am on 27 March 2015

The Brisbane Roar football coach Frans Thijssen faces a possible fine or suspension after Football Federation Australia cited him for criticising the abandonment of last Sunday's match with Wellington Phoenix.

A Brisbane Roar player celebrates a goal.

A Brisbane Roar player celebrates a goal. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Phoenix won 2-1, but the match was abandoned in the 73rd minute due to incessant rain, which waterlogged the Suncorp Stadium pitch.

Under A-League rules, any match that is called off in the first half must be replayed, but if it's called off during the second half, the score at the time is allowed to stand as the final result.

At the post-match news conference, Thaijssen said the rule was "crazy" and not in the spirit of "honest competition", and he questioned why the abandonment took place just as the Roar were preparing to take a free kick from scoring distance.

Thijssen has been asked by the FFA to explain his comments by 5pm on April 1.

In the same news conference, Thijssen also slammed FFA's policy of not halting the A-League for international breaks.

Brisbane faced Western Sydney Wanderers on Wednesday night and with four key players unavailable due to national team commitments and four others ruled out through injury, they were smashed 4-1.