ADELAIDE United are blaming a ball boy for faking injury and refusing to return the ball to Michael Marrone for an unseemly incident in the FFA Cup final.

Marrone is expected to find out later on Wednesday whether he faces a ban for grabbing the ball boy during Sydney FC’s 2-1 cup win.

Marrone knocked over the ball boy while trying to get the ball to take a throw- in during extra time in Tuesday night’s cup final in Sydney. The Reds believe Marrone, who had been red-carded for the incident, shouldn’t face further sanction.

His teammate Ersan Gulum says there’s no doubt the ball boy is at fault.

“We have conceded a goal, we’re trying to get the ball back and he (the ball boy) is saying he has got a cramp,” Gulum told reporters on Wednesday at Adelaide Airport.

“He is 10-years-old. Come on, how are you getting a cramp at 10-years-old?

“Micky went to grab the ball and he turned around and he didn’t give him the ball ... you’re the ball boy - you are meant to give the ball to whoever, opposition, or whoever wants the ball.”

Gulum said the incident was out of character for Marrone.

“Everyone knows Micky is not that sort of aggressive guy anyway. He was just trying to get the ball back,” he said.

“He is a gentleman on and off the park.

“It went over proportion when (Sydney’s) Matt Simon came in and pushed players around and then the whole team came in.

“All Micky wanted to do was get the ball and the boy turns around and shields the ball from Micky. Aren’t you, as a ball boy, meant to give us the ball back?

“Again, you can say why isn’t that ball boy giving that ball back? Or you can say Micky, he’s a little boy, you could be more soft to him.

“You can look at it a lot of ways.”

He added: “He’s holding his hamstring. He’s got a cramp. Did he play or did we play?

“You can laugh about it to be honest. It’s a comedy show on the sidelines.”

Gulum concluded: “Who told him to hold the ball and pretend he’s cramping up? You can look at it that way as well.”

Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop described the incident as unfortunate.

“Just thankful that nobody was hurt,” Gallop told reporters on Wednesday in Sydney.

“Perhaps some lessons for a few people in that one.”

Police spoke with the ball boy, who was unhurt and was later given a cup winners’ medal from Sydney left-back Michael Zullo.