The Head Coach of Sydney FC Graham Arnold has been issued with a formal reprimand over two breaches of the FFA National Code of Conduct.

The breaches relate to comments made by Arnold following Sydney FC’s Hyundai A-League Round 10 match against Adelaide United on 11 December 2015.

FFA has found that the comments breached the following clauses of the Code;

· 5.1(a): “A Member must not make any statement in public…that is disparaging or

derogatory of a Match Official…”;

· 5.1(b): “A Member must not make any statement in public…that is disparaging of FFA, or any FFA Statute or FFA policy decision, without reasonable basis or justification”;

Head of the Hyundai A-League Damien De Bohun said the context and manner in which the word “criminal” was used impugned the integrity and character of the Match Official.

“In his submission Graham asserted that the comment was not directed towards the referee, but in reaching our decision, it was determined that any reasonable person who heard or read that comment would take the clear inference that the comment was referring to the awarding of a late penalty,” said de Bohun.

“If Graham was intending to express disappointment about losing a match when down to 10 players, he was not clear about that and in any event there are many other ways to convey that feeling. ”

De Bohun said FFA wanted to firmly rebut Arnold’s assertion that “you're not allowed to have an opinion in this game”, when declining to take questions in the post-match media conference in Adelaide.

“FFA has a formal policy which gives A-League coaches latitude to make comments on a wide range of issues, including refereeing decisions,” said De Bohun

“The important distinction is that a coach can criticise a decision and give reasons, but must not impugn the character of the Match Official making the call. It’s quite clear cut.

“We want the fans to know as much as possible about a match and the Head Coach has that responsibility after the match.

“Taking everything into account FFA believes that a reprimand is appropriate in these circumstances and will encourage coaches to continue to provide their opinions in their post-match commitments and bring fans closer to the games”.

To ensure coaches are clear on the guidelines for making comment post-match about contentious issues and referee decisions, FFA will re-circulate a memo that was previously sent to all 10 Hyundai A-League Clubs.