By ADEM SARICAOGLU
GREEN Gully remains unclear about when its postponed round eight Victorian Premier League clash with Richmond will resume.
The match was set to restart Wednesday last week, but was postponed by Football Federation Victoria on Tuesday.
Heavy rain flooded the Kevin Bartlett Reserve pitch on 31 May, forcing the referee to call time 71 minutes into the game with Green Gully in control and 2-1 up.
Had the match lasted one minute longer, that result would have stood.
Instead the FFV summoned both clubs to Kevin Bartlett Reserve last week to play out the remaining 19 minutes, only to again halt proceedings.
It is understood the situation is subject to an FFV tribunal hearing, however the federation could not comment any further when contacted by Star.
Green Gully football manager Raymond Mamo coined the fiasco a “bloody joke”.
“At the moment we’re still trying to obtain information from the federation as to why and how this has all come about,” Mamo said.
“I’ve been chasing any correspondence that Richmond has sent through to the federation, because we should have been involved in any communication or any meetings that may have been held.
“We should’ve been involved, and we weren’t.”
Yet, in a bizarre twist, Richmond president Wolfgang Smoger revealed on Sunday his club was not even made aware of Wednesday’s scheduled restart, despite Star directly receiving confirmation to the contrary from the FFV a week earlier.
“We never got any information that we were supposed to be playing on Wednesday,” Smoger said.
“We still haven’t got any information at all except for Wednesday (last week), which said the official date will be set at a later time to replay the 19 minutes.
“I am very surprised that Green Gully was preparing for Wednesday night to play 19 minutes – we did not get any advice at all, or instruction, for that matter.”
Smoger’s claim could not be confirmed nor denied by the FFV within deadline.
Green Gully had altered its normal training routine to accommodate for Wednesday’s restart, which was scheduled just three days prior to its weekend clash with second-placed Bentleigh Greens.
Despite coming away with a solid 2-2 draw, Mamo admits the week’s events were a distraction.
“That was a huge test for the boys and they knew what they were going to be up against, and I thought that we held our own,” Mamo said.
“We played good football and we were able to be competitive against a current top side.”
The Cavaliers remain near the relegation zone in 10th spot on the table.
