EXCLUSIVE: Steve Corica insists he was oblivious to the spitting storm erupting around him after his tumble in the box triggered trouble for Dino Djulbic.
The Sydney FC stand-in skipper went down under a challenge from Adriano Pellegrino in Sunday’s 5-2 win over Perth Glory and promptly scored from the resulting penalty.
Djulbic’s protest at the decision incurred the wrath of referee Peter Green and the defender was red carded for allegedly spitting.
Djulbic will face an independent disciplinary committee later this week and if slapped with a R3 (red card three) offence - the standard charge for spitting at a match official under FFA's national disciplinary guidelines - he faces anywhere from six matches to 18 months on the sidelines if found guilty.
Corica today told au.fourfourtwo.com: “To be honest mate, I thought there was contact (for the foul) and then I’m just focusing on trying to score the penalty.
"I saw a red card go up and just assumed it was for something he (Djulbic) said. That’s all I can say really. I haven’t seen it (the incident) since. It was a bit of a blur.”
The experienced midfielder kept his cool to score from the spot and take his tally for the season to three – just one short of his entire total for last season.
It also made him the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Hyundai A-League.
He said: “It was a very good result but if we’d played a bit better in the second half then maybe we could have had more.
“But that’s two wins out of three and one of things we don’t seem to have had since the start of the A-League is the boost of a good start.
“The other encouraging thing is that we’ve got these results and there’s still boys to come back. Obviously Poppa and John Aloisi were on the bench and it’s looking good.
“There’s still a long way to go though, it’s just the start.
“We’ve a break now in the fixtures and it gives you a chance to rest a little bit.”
Perth were due to arrive back on the west coast today and a club media statement read: "Perth Glory is still waiting to receive the official determination from the Match Review Panel who is assessing the red card issued to defender Dino Djulbic in yesterday’s match against Sydney. The club will make no further comment on the matter at this time."
Djulbic’s protest at the decision incurred the wrath of referee Peter Green and the defender was red carded for allegedly spitting.
Djulbic will face an independent disciplinary committee later this week and if slapped with a R3 (red card three) offence - the standard charge for spitting at a match official under FFA's national disciplinary guidelines - he faces anywhere from six matches to 18 months on the sidelines if found guilty.
Corica today told au.fourfourtwo.com: “To be honest mate, I thought there was contact (for the foul) and then I’m just focusing on trying to score the penalty.
"I saw a red card go up and just assumed it was for something he (Djulbic) said. That’s all I can say really. I haven’t seen it (the incident) since. It was a bit of a blur.”
The experienced midfielder kept his cool to score from the spot and take his tally for the season to three – just one short of his entire total for last season.
It also made him the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Hyundai A-League.
He said: “It was a very good result but if we’d played a bit better in the second half then maybe we could have had more.
“But that’s two wins out of three and one of things we don’t seem to have had since the start of the A-League is the boost of a good start.
“The other encouraging thing is that we’ve got these results and there’s still boys to come back. Obviously Poppa and John Aloisi were on the bench and it’s looking good.
“There’s still a long way to go though, it’s just the start.
“We’ve a break now in the fixtures and it gives you a chance to rest a little bit.”
Perth were due to arrive back on the west coast today and a club media statement read: "Perth Glory is still waiting to receive the official determination from the Match Review Panel who is assessing the red card issued to defender Dino Djulbic in yesterday’s match against Sydney. The club will make no further comment on the matter at this time."
Related Articles
Fresh talent flock to ambitious A-League outfit's pro pathway
Why A-League 20/21 is crucial for Olyroos’ medal hopes
