The FFA's match review panel sparked fury on Friday when they handed down the lengthy suspension, effective immediately, just 24 hours before their clash with Newcastle Jets.

The ban came after the club was only told on Thursday that the FFA were investigating a complaint about Griffiths swearing at match officials near the end of the Big Blue clash against Melbourne Victory.

Today de Bohun admitted the complaints that sparked the investigation didn't come the usual route through match officials.

But he said the source was irrelevant in their campaign against the abuse of match officials by players.

And he said the suspension sent a message to all A-League players that abusive language towards match officials is totally unacceptable.

“Abuse of match officials is a blight on football at every level, from the grassroots to the professional tier,” said de Bohun.

“A-League players have a particular responsibility to behave respectfully towards officials. The players’ conduct is on show to tens of thousands of fans on TV and in our venues every week.

"The example they set – good or bad – is liable to be replicated down the line.

“The vast majority of A-League players are wonderful role models, but we won’t tolerate abusive language, no matter what the circumstances.”

De Bohun admitted the circumstances were unusual in the lead up to the late ban on Griffiths.

“We were dealing with an incident that was initially missed by the routine procedures and that affected the normal timelines,” he said.

“To be clear, the incident was reported to FFA by several sources later in the week. As with all independent reports, these are vetted by the FFA regulatory officers. In this case the incident warranted referral to the MRP.

“The MRP did not base its decision on an allegation or the independent reports received, but the video footage as confirmed by the player’s admission of the offence.

“It doesn’t matter how the incident is reported. If the Laws of the Game and the A-League Disciplinary Regulations are breached and the incident falls within the jurisdiction of the MRP, we have an obligation to act.

“We were dealing with a red card offence, corroborated by video evidence and the admission of a player.

“As soon as a player is subject to a suspension, competition integrity demands that suspension be served in the next immediate game.”