Victory believe referee Matthew Breeze made an error in his adjudication that the Brazilian spat at opponent Robert Cornthwaite and have lodged an 'Obvious error (red card) application' with FFA, as permitted under Disciplinary Regulations, clause 9.2.

The club said it had reviewed the broadcast footage from all angles and spoken to Ney Fabiano about the incident and believed he was wrongfully dismissed in the 29th minute.

Melbourne's case could be strengthened by Adelaide skipper Travis Dodd saying that he saw nothing except a heated exchange of words between the two players.

If the club are unable to get the decision overturned, then the A-League match review panel is likely to impose a severe sanction on the striker. Under the R3 offence he was charged with, he could be outed for up to six weeks.

Perth Glory Dino Djulbic received a five-match ban for his charge of dissent in that he spat angrily after disagreeing with a referees decision in the Round 3 match against Sydney.

Melbourne went on to win the game 1-0 despite being without Ney Fabiano for over an hour and now sits clear on top of the table.