Melbourne City captain Aziz Behich suspended for two games for violent conduct

What was already a night to forget for Melbourne City in the derby has become even more of a shocking evening.

Socceroo Aziz Behich has been suspended for two A-League games. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Melbourne City captain Aziz Behich has been suspended for two games after being found guilty of violent conduct in his team’s 3-1 derby loss to Melbourne Victory.

Video footage from Saturday night’s clash at AAMI Park showed Socceroos defender Behich stamping on the inner thigh of fallen Victory striker Nikos Vergos with his right boot.

Football Australia’s independent match review panel, made up of chairman Simon Micallef, Alan Davidson and Con Diomis, reviewed the incident after it “escaped the attention” of referee Alex King and wasn’t dealt with by the VAR.

Behich was charged with “assault on a player”, in this instance violent conduct when not challenging for the ball.

He will now miss City’s clash on Monday night with Western United at AAMI Park, as well as his team’s November 10 match against Perth Glory at HBF Park.

Football Australia's independent Match Review Panel has confirmed its findings following an incident involving Aziz Behich in Saturday night's Melbourne Derby.

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— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) October 29, 2024

Behich has until 2pm (AEDT) on Wednesday to advise FA if he wants to refer the matter to an independent disciplinary and ethics committee.

FA head of referees Jon Moss said the VAR had “ultimately misjudged the level of contact” made by Behich on Vergos in taking no action after King had missed the incident.

“After reviewing multiple available angles, some of which indicated the contact was accidental, the VAR determined it did not meet the threshold for referral to the on-field referee,” Moss said.

“This was an isolated error in an otherwise strong performance by the VAR on the night.

“As part of our weekly coaching and feedback cycle, we have debriefed the match officials and recognise that the outcome could have been more aligned with expectations.

“We value the role of the match review panel, which used its discretion under the disciplinary regulations to address and cite the player involved.”