GRAHAM Arnold has bemoaned the strange rule thats allowed Western Sydney Wanderers defender Iacopo La Rocca to play in the opening round of the new A-League season.

La Rocca was sent off against Sydney FC in Round 26 and received a four match ban, which ruled him out of last season’s grand final against Central Coast Mariners. He carried one game over to the new season, but was allowed to complete his suspension during a preseason friendly and as a result is now eligible to play against the Mariners on Saturday.

Arnold says that wouldn’t happen in other football leagues around the world.



“You get sent off in a competition game and you can serve your suspension playing friendly games,” Arnold said.



“Maybe if Western Sydney were more proactive after he got sent off last year against Sydney FC they would have organised two friendly games in the two-week period before the grand final and he would’ve been able to play in the grand final.



“Luis Suarez got 10 weeks at Liverpool in the English Premier League at the end of last year and he didn’t serve his suspension in friendly games, he served his suspension during games that counted for three points. It’s a strange rule.”



Saturday’s match at Bluetongue Stadium might be a grand final rematch between the two clubs, but Arnold says it’s certainly not a grand final rematch between the teams that take to the field.



“There are seven players missing on Saturday night that were part of the grand final team,” he said.



“The Mariners at the moment are the champion club, but this is definitely not the champion team and our challenge is for this new team to do what the championship team did last year.”



Arnold is thankful the Mariners didn’t have as long an off-season as many of the other A-League clubs, but he’s still itching to get the new campaign started in front of a full stadium in Gosford.



“It was a shortish off-season for us because we had the Asian Champions League all the way through to May, but I would have hated to be one of the other clubs that finished back in March,” Arnold said.



“It’s a long off-season and we’re sick of playing friendly games. We’ve played 10 friendly games, three against A-League clubs and the players are very professional, they look after themselves, and there’s no intensity to the games.



“It’s a full house hopefully and the crowds will be big again this weekend right across the A-League. Everyone’s recruited well, the youngsters of all the teams are getting better and better, I know a lot of people are saying it’s going to be the best A-League season ever, but let’s hope the football standard is high.”

Originally published as Arnie asks why La Rocca playing