At the end of the 2012 A-League Grand Final, the image of two men seemed to sum up Season 7 : Besart Berisha partied wearing a glittery orange plastic hat while a devastated Tony Sage openly wept.  Berisha, a player who has been widely praised as one of the greatest imports we’ve ever seen, looked like he was about to break into an amateur song and dance routine.  Sage, a man who has passionately supported the game reflected the misery of all football lovers who have kept the faith as the A-League lurched through a series of disasters this season. 

Sadly for Perth, for the A-League and for all lovers of a fair football contest, the 2012 Grand Final has ended a disastrous season in a way that managed to be both ludicrous and appalling. Well before he donned the glittery hat, Berisha had unleashed his amateur dramatics on the pitch, fooling the ref and gaining an undeserved scoring opportunity in the dying seconds of the game.  His mad arm waving after he fell over was laughable but instead the ref rewarded him with the football equivalent of an Academy Award.

It was an incredibly poor refereeing decision that tainted what should have been an exciting finish to the match and robbed both teams of the chance to show who could tough it out in extra time. Perth will understandably feel cheated while Brisbane can surely take no pride in winning the trophy under such circumstances.  Some of the Roar players and fans looked decidedly uncomfortable and even Mitch Nichols admitted “it wasn’t a penalty.”

Worse still, this is not the first time a poor refereeing decision has made a crucial difference to the outcome of the Grand Final (hello Mariners and Adelaide fans). In fact, watching the end of this match was simply a re-run of last year’s nightmare with Glory getting shafted in the Mariners place.  To their enormous credit Perth were totally dignified in defeat.  They have had a fantastic season and deserved a spot in the ACL, a position they will now have to fight for.

As a Mariners fan I can truly say I share their pain and also a growing sense of anger at what the Grand Final has become : a media event where “drama” is supposedly more important than fair play or good sportsmanship.  The FFA web site report was quick to highlight that the match “took drama to another level” while some commentators on Fox Sports after the match seemed almost oblivious to the controversial way Brisbane had won, even asserting it was “a 100% penalty”. 

Why can’t we all just stand up and say it was a terrible decision ?  Pretending it was simply “dramatic” is deeply offensive.  This is supposed to be our showcase to the wider Australian public and is the most-watched game of the A-League season yet it was turned once again into amateur hour.  At a time when our game desperately needs to restore respect and honour the way this match ended will bring only further ridicule and derision to the already battered A-League brand. 

Personally, I’m sick and tired of trying to explain to non-football supporters why our league seemingly rewards amateur acting over athletic skill and why referees are so easily fooled.

It’s simply not good enough.  Not good enough for the fans, the players, the coaches, the owners or the sponsors.  We need a higher standard of refereeing, especially in the Finals Series, even employing foreign referees if necessary. 

Yes, we all know that referees have a very difficult job, but there is a deeply-rooted anger amongst fans who can clearly see gross inconsistencies in the way matches are refereed. The kind of anger that makes you think “what’s the point in supporting my team all season when they’ll never be given a fair chance to win a trophy ?” 

In the case of the Grand Final, accusations of “bias” can only be fuelled by the fact that the FFA chose to give Jarred Gillett the refereeing job, despite the fact that his partner is an employee of Brisbane Roar.  Surely this represents a conflict of interest which makes Gillet’s appointment inappropriate (not to mention his refereeing other Finals matches in which Roar was involved.)

So Season 7 has ended with the same heartbreak and bitterness as Season 6 and the same hands on the toilet seat. But while that toilet seat might shine brightly it’s starting to smell rather bad. 

It’s a smell the FFA can’t afford to ignore.  Drama may be "entertaining" but professional football competitions should never reward theatrics.  And if the A-League fails to maintain its integrity then some day soon perhaps even the true believers will stop caring.