Soccer: A flood of yellow and red cards

By Terry Maddaford

There are no places for faint hearts - or silly fouls - in the Australian Soccer League.

Just five rounds into the new season, 173 players have been booked. A further 16 have been sent off.

The frustration felt by defending champions South Melbourne is obvious. They have already received 16 cautions and a sending-off and are firmly entrenched in the middle of the points table with six of a possible 15 points from two wins and three losses.

Of the 40 games played so far only one, the fourth-round clash between Sydney Olympic and Wollongong Wolves, has been free of red or yellow cards.

However, Wollongong made up for that in having five booked and two sent off in their away game against the Football Kingz at North Harbour Stadium last Saturday.

The Kingz have so far managed to keep their players on the pitch but have been handed 13 bookings.

Marconi have had a player sent off in three of their five games and had a dozen cautioned as well.

At the other end of the scale, Perth Glory have had four booked, but no more than one a game, and one dismissed. Brisbane Strikers have had five booked and none sent off.

Matthew Breeze, regarded as being among the best referees in Australia, and who stamped his mark on Saturday's game in Auckland, has booked 25 and sent three off in five games.

The fate of Wollongong Wolves coach Nick Theodorakopoulos, who confronted Breeze after the game at North Harbour Stadium, is unlikely to be decided immediately.

It appears the wheels of justice turn slowly across the Tasman in the hope that such deeds are forgotten.

ASL general manager Stefan Kamasz said yesterday that no action would be considered until the referee's report was received. The length of the suspensions for the two Wollongong players sent off will be decided at a meeting this week.

Meanwhile, crowd figures continue to run at about the same level as last season. Official attendance for the first five weeks stand at 228,941, down 7000 on last year's figures.

Con Boutsianis (Perth Glory), Michael Curcija (South Melbourne), Paul Foster (Brisbane Strikers) and Daniel Watkins (Canberra Cosmos) are leading the goal-scoring race with four each.

The Kingz, up to 10th place on the points table, are away to third-placed Sydney Olympic on Sunday.