Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has described Danny Vukovic's altercation with referee Mark Shield late in Sunday's A-League grand final as 'stupid' but expects the young Mariners keeper to learn his lesson from his moment of madness.
Vukovic was given a red card by Shield for physically remonstrating with the experienced referee after a handball by Newcastle's James Holland went unnoticed in the penalty box. The resultant penalty would have given the Mariners a chance to equalise and push the game into extra time.
A sustained charge of violent conduct against a match official carries anything from a ban of a year to a life ban and the Mariners keeper faces a nervous wait to learn of his fate.
Verbeek said Vukovic, who would be first-choice stopper for the Olyroos in August's Olympic Games, had acted foolishly but that his inexperience had played a part in his actions.
"I think that's one of the things players have to learn. It's stupid, there's no doubt about that. We can be honest about that. He should have never done that," Verbeek said.
"He should have never done it of course, but hopefully he will learn from it and hopefully every player can learn from it because you can not accept things like that as a professional football player."
But Verbeek said he wouldn't view any lengthy suspension as a black mark on 22-year-old Vukovic, as long as he showed genuine remorse and learned from his mistake.
"If he was 30 years old I would say yes, but he is still a young guy. I've learned that he is a very professional player. He always wants to go maximum and he wants to win, which is of course very good. But there are limits between willing to win and behaviour. I think he will learn. I think he just had a very bad night," he said.
Football Federation Australia is yet to rule on the incident, but under its national disciplinary regulations any intentional physical contact with a referee is viewed very dimly. The penalty range is from one year to life.
Portuguese player Joao Pinto was suspended for a total of six months for punching a referee in the stomach during the 2002 World Cup, but that was under FIFA regulations.