Football Federation Australia is unlikely to act on a formal complaint made by Central Coast, believed to be over remarks made by Fox Sports pundit Mark Rudan after a tackle that earned captain Nick Montgomery a red card.
The Mariners issued a statement late on Wednesday, saying the club had been "inundated" by members and fans, demanding a response to "unwarranted and totally unfounded" comments made following their 2-1 A-League loss to Western Sydney at the weekend, without specifying precisely what they were referring to.
It's understood the club is incensed with Rudan's post-match suggestion that Montgomery had been deliberately malicious with his tackle on Wanderers attacker Golgol Mebrahtu.
Hampered by injury throughout his entire A-League career, Mebrahtu had only recently returned from a serious knee injury.
"That is as bad a tackle as you're going to see, particularly because it's against a fellow professional that's just come back from a long-term knee injury," former Sydney FC captain Rudan said on Fox Sports.
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Challenged by a fellow presenter on whether Montgomery would have been mindful of Mebrahtu's injury history in the heat of the moment, Rudan said: "Absolutely - you know that."
The Mariners said they had also filed a complaint to Fox Sports, the A-League's broadcast partner.
Fox Sports declined when approached for a response by AAP, as did Rudan.
However, an FFA spokesperson said the governing body was hesitant to act on the matter.
"Commentators expressing their opinions are generally not subject to FFA's jurisdiction. Responsibility for the opinions aired rests with the commentator and the broadcaster," the spokesperson said.
"FFA does not wish to inhibit the fair and reasonable debate about incidents in Hyundai A-League matches, as this forms part of what makes the competition so interesting for fans."
