Central Coast Mariners boss Nick Montgomery was left in unison with Macarthur manager Dwight Yorke as they expressed their concern at the disregard for "player safety" at A-League Men level.
The Mariners nabbed a 2-1 win away to the Bulls on Friday, but while the victory moves them into second spot on the table Montgomery was keen to express concerns about the refereeing of Alireza Faghani.
The Iranian-born official turned down claims for two second-half penalties for each side and as both teams pushed for a late goal Faghani kept his whistle in his pocket and let the game flow.
It meant that the game descended into chaos, with many fouls going unpunished and Montgomery claiming the match could have turned into a "20-man brawl".
"I think that there could have been a lot more cards given out in that game and towards the end of the game there it was anything goes," Montgomery said.
"Probably for the safety of the players, that's a worry for both teams.
"I'm a bit lost for words which is not normally me."
Montgomery also had to substitute lively winger Sammy Silvera with a knee injury after he was clattered by Bulls midfielder Jake Hollman.
"It was probably the fourth or fifth bad tackle of the game," Montgomery said.
"It was a cynical tackle. We'll ice him up and see how he is, but he's sore."
Yorke, meanwhile, bemoaned the fact neither of his side's two appeals for second-half penalties were examined by VAR.
Daniel Arzani was felled in the box and there were claims from the Macarthur players that Mariners midfielder Harrison Steele had handled the ball in his own box.
"We've got the VAR to help them along and I think when VAR is required, we need to use it," he said.
"But the consistency we have in the league and around the world, it's a little bit frustrating.
"We get everything outside of the box because we have got quality players who take a lot of beatings most of the time.
"When it comes to the inside of the box, we don't seem to get any decision going for us."
