Roar take points but ref takes the cake

They say a good referee goes unnoticed, which means that by most common definitions Brenton Hayward had a shocker on Saturday night when he took charge of Brisbane Roar vs Newcastle Jets.

Following the game, much of the discussion centred on Hayward’s performance – never a good sign for a referee in any sport – and in particular focused on the inexplicable sending off of Thomas Broich just before half-time.

The German midfielder was controversially given his marching orders in the wake of an off-the-ball incident with Josh Mitchell in the 44th minute that in turn saw the Jets defender dismissed courtesy of a second yellow card.

Television replays later cleared Broich of any wrongdoing during the incident, the sending off attributed to a possible case of mistaken identity during the brief barney.

The best thing that can be said for Hayward is that his balls-up, and that is precisely what it was, did not alter the final outcome of the night’s match; the score was already 1-0, as it finished, when the cards were issued.

However, while the injustice of a result dictated by a referee’s decision did not eventuate, that doesn’t mean Hayward’s error still does not have ramifications that require correction to prevent further injustice.

Effectively, Thomas Broich must be acquitted of any wrong doing by the somebody with the power to do such immediately – bypassing the match review panel in its entirety.

While this may seem extreme, and possibly a circumvention of due process, it will prove the best outcome for all concerned.

As it stands, and this might sound strange, there is no guarantee that Brisbane Roar will appeal the red card issued to Thomas Broich despite the all-too-obvious injustice.

Simply put, the match review panel is a Mickey Mouse court where no outcome can be assured.

In the past, the MRP has erred towards supporting a referee’s in-game decision at every possible  opportunity – including notoriously not disciplining Joel Griffith’s for sack-whacking the linesman several years back.

And while clubs can appeal decisions made in regard to on-field incidents, extra punishments can also be implemented if the appeal is unsuccessful or deemed frivolous – making an appeal less of a right than calculated privilege, if not an outright gamble.

Hence, it would not be surprising if Brisbane Roar decide to leave bad enough alone and not appeal Broich's red card; nor, if they do appeal, would it be surprising if the MRP decides against the club and imposes further penalty.

Of course, if either of those possibilities eventuates it will be the worst possible outcome for Thomas Broich, Brisbane Roar and, arguably most of all, the hapless FFA who will spend the week fending off unflattering headlines.

And of course, any absence of Broich will surely affect the result of Brisbane's next fixture. Considering the role he plays for the team, how could it not?

Which means another game where Hayward's original decision will once again become the centre of discussion.

It begs the question, how bad must a decision be if it remains topical a week later and affects a match that referee is not officiating?

To do that it just might be the worst decision in A-League history – which is why it must be overturned immediately, due process be damned.