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Plays of the Week
From tight corners to trick shots, these are the most exciting, silly and downright crazy plays in the sport world this week.
PT2M13S 620 349Melbourne Victory are furious with Football Federation Australia's refusal to alter the finals' schedule that could provide them just 32 hours to prepare for a potential away semi-final after landing in Australia.
Supported by the A-League Players' Union, Victory and the players seething over the prospect of being forced to play a semi-final less than 72 hours after playing in Asia.
Despite not yet assured of reaching the semi-finals, Melbourne Victory have been strongly lobbying the FFA to push their potential clash against Adelaide United back from Friday to Saturday or Sunday due to their mid-week Asian Champions League commitments.
So close: Besart Berisha rues a missed opportunity on goal. Photo: Getty Images
On Thursday, the FFA rejected that request with the club no certainty of reaching that stage of the competition while other commercial and broadcast agreements have already put in place. The reigning champions are understood to be furious with the governing body's refusal after citing a major competitive disadvantage caused by the scheduling that does not accommodate their mid-week Asian Champions League travel commitments.
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Should Victory beat Brisbane Roar on Friday night, they then play Shanghai East Asia on Tuesday night, where they can seal qualification to the knock-out stages of the ACL before returning to Melbourne on Thursday, providing them with just one full day's recovery before having to play Adelaide United on Friday night. With hopes alive in both competitions, the short turnaround and long travel is a major dent to their hopes of progressing in the A-League due to the FFA schedule, according to Victory chief executive Ian Robson.
"We're focused on going to Brisbane tomorrow night and after the positive outcome of the disciplinary committee [involving Besart Berisha] we are looking forward to an exciting match and a good outcome. We have a tight turnaround to Shanghai for our next Champions League match on Tuesday night, which would see us get back into Melbourne on Thursday morning. If it is that we're to return to play an A-League semi-final, then that presents its own compelling scheduling challenges," Robson said.
However, their potential finals opponent, Adelaide, are far from sympathetic to Melbourne Victory's situation and will not support any change in date for their home final. A late rescheduling would present a logistical nightmare, with more than 14,000 tickets already sold for a Friday night game at Coopers Stadium. The Reds' chief executive, Grant Mayer, says his club also has the right to a significant advantage as a result of finishing first in the regular season.
"The ACL group stage dates have been known for some time. The FFA scheduled the A-League finals series and no doubt it's a challenging job, but there's a benefit to finishing first on the top of the table," Mayer said. "The premiers' plate is an exceptionally prestigious award and with that comes a range of other bonuses, one being the first week off and the second being the longest gap between the semi-final appearance and grand final ��� should we make it."
The FFA confirmed it will not rearrange the finals series and denies any potential risk of player welfare after receiving professional advice on scheduling during the preseason.
"Player welfare is a top priority in scheduling matches and we look very carefully at each case," Head of Hyundai A-League Damien de Bohun said.
The FFA are committed to affording the premiers' the longest break between a semi-final and potential grand final as a reward for their finish to the regular season.
"Where there are no venue availability issues, the top team plays the first semi-final. That's what's happening this year with Adelaide United. It's the protocol that's followed and we see no compelling reason to change it," De Bohun said.
However, the A-League Players Union hit back at the FFA's for not accommodating continental travel schedules in their finals fixtures. This issue surfaced in the 2013-14 season when Central Coast Mariners similarly had 32 hours between landing and playing the Wanderers in an away final. The PFA calls for the FFA to provide business class travel for players balancing continental football with A-League finals series and provide 72 hours recovery exclusive of long-haul travel.
"The current scheduling raises doubts not only about player wellbeing but also penalises clubs for being successful," PFA acting chairman Craig Foster said. "In the event that Melbourne Victory beat Brisbane Roar, fairness dictates that the Adelaide United Semi Final should be moved to Saturday, April 23, to ensure that players are afforded a minimum 72 hours break between matches.
"Players deserve to be at their best and fans are entitled to demand their team is able to perform at their maximum in what will be a showpiece match of the A-League.