The Week Down Under: A-League Week 19

Culina Culled

Another week, another kerfuffle at Sydney FC HQ. This was a big one, with coach Frank Farina and star midfielder Jason Culina vehemently disagreeing with each other on whether or not Culina should have been named in the starting XI for the weekend’s game against the Roar. Such was the animosity between the two that within 24 hours Culina’s contract had been terminated, an extraordinary decision given that the former Socceroo has been one of Farina’s better players since returning from injury.

His replacement was Peter Triantis and he scored the winner, briefly lending credibility to Farina’s decision, but we haven’t heard the last of this story.

Going Nowhere

There were also rumours surrounding Alessandro Del Piero this week, with Italian sources claiming that Flamengo were looking to sign the Italian for next season. Sydney quickly denied the rumours and are ensuring everybody that their marquee player will sign on for next season, but the rumours won’t die until he does sign up.

Fergie Out

From grand finalists to bottom of the league, time has run out for Ian Ferguson. The Perth Glory boss was shown the door after their fifth consecutive loss, this time to the Melbourne Heart. To make matters worse, it was the fourth straight game in which they had failed to score a goal, a fact that will surprise no-one who has had to sit through any of their recent performances.

Ferguson’s replacement is Australia U-17 coach Alistair Edwards, and with the finals seemingly out of reach, his first task will be the introduce some form of flair to a team that you probably wouldn’t bother watching if they were playing in your back garden.

Nothing to See Here

The wider world of Australian sport was rocked last week by the news that the Australian Crime Commission have spent the last year investigating the use of performance enhancing drugs and match-fixing across the codes, and the findings, yet to be revealed, promise to implicate some very big names. The vast majority of allegations are said to involve the NRL & AFL, but before the A-League could get on its high horse, news filtered through that almost $50 million had been placed by Asian gamblers on Adelaide’s 2-1 win over the Victory in December.

All parties have since denied that there was anything suspicious about the game and there are yet to be any charges laid towards any A-League teams or players, so it’s all good news for now.

On The Pitch

The Wanderers continued their rapid ascension up the table with a 2-1 win over the Jets, moving into second place. This was after the Victory lost at Adelaide, dropping them into third. The Mariners are still first, but it’s places five and six (the last two final spots) that will be the centre of attention in the coming weeks, with all teams up to eighth realistically in with a chance.