Men’s A-League leaders Wellington Phoenix face two games without All Whites defender Tim Payne following his red card in the 1-1 draw against Melbourne Victory.
The in-form Phoenix fullback was sent off in first-half stoppage time at Sky Stadium on Friday night for a foul on Melbourne Victory midfielder Zinedine Machach.
Football Australia’s independent match review panel have determined Payne committed “serious foul play” and have proposed a two match suspension, being the minimum sanction for a red card offence plus one additional match.
Payne will miss Wellington’s upcoming road matches against Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar after the club decided not to seek a referral of the decision to the independent disciplinary and ethics committee.
The Phoenix assessed the match review panel’s judgment and looked at all available footage of Payne’s challenge before deciding not to appeal.
Result
Game played on Friday January 19, 2024
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Alex Rufer 90+5′ pen)
Melbourne Victory 1 (Connor Chapman 79′)
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