Football Australia's chief executive, James Johnson, has made it clear that the abuse of match officials will not be tolerated. The governing body has launched an investigation into the conduct of Western Sydney Wanderers chairman, Paul Lederer, following a recent spate of incidents involving referees that have raised concerns.
One incident involved Football Australia's referee, Alireza Faghani, who experienced a wave of online abuse after officiating the round-of-16 clash between Jordán and Iraq at the Asian Cup. Additionally, Melbourne City midfielder Tolgay Arslan is facing disciplinary action for using 'offensive, insulting or abusive language' towards referee Shane Skinner during an A-League Men match.
