The Club issued the following correspondence to members on Monday, January 19.
Dear Melbourne Victory Fans,
On behalf of the Club, I want to express our gratitude to the large number of supporters who travelled to Adelaide for our double header on Saturday, as well as those who supported our teams from home. Your commitment and passion, as always, are integral to Melbourne Victory and the Club’s success.
While the results in both the A-League Women’s and Men’s matches didn’t go our way, the fixtures reflected much of what the A-League represents at its best – passion, excitement, and quality football. They also highlighted that the officiating standard in the A-League must improve.
As outlined in our Fan Engagement Plan released ahead of the season, we are committed to open, transparent and authentic communication with our members and fans. With that in mind, I want to share our position and actions regarding the officiating in Saturday night’s Men’s fixture.
Yesterday, the Club formally wrote to Football Australia seeking clarification on the offside VAR decision that ruled out Matthew Grimaldi’s goal in the 88th minute. We requested a clear explanation of the decision itself, the process followed, the release of the VAR audio and their view and expectation on the length of time taken to reach a decision. The initial response we have received is that the decision was correct and managed within the rules of the game and the VAR protocols.
Notwithstanding this, we are really disappointed with the decision, particularly given that VAR exists to support match officials and ensure they can reach correct outcomes and conclusions in respect of clear and obvious errors, not to allow further subjective, yet delayed decision-making outside of real-time.
While we acknowledge further information on this will not change the result of the match, in our view, the issue is bigger than one fixture or one decision – it is about raising refereeing standards and/or reviewing protocols and procedures to ensure accountability, so future matches are not impacted in the same way, and with that in mind, we will continue to review and consider the response received so far on the matter.
Football Australia has a responsibility to ensure A-League matches are always officiated to the highest possible standard, particularly given the level of funding the League provides to assist with this. As a Club, we also have a role to play. We are committed to supporting any initiatives that help match officials reach and maintain elite international standards, whether on the field, on the sideline, as fourth officials or in VAR.
In recent weeks, multiple clubs across the league have questioned significant officiating decisions which directly impact the perception of the quality of professional football and how football supporters feel about investing their time, money and emotion into our game. While we know people will perceive our stance on this to be linked purely to the outcome of the game this weekend, our concern is not about one moment in isolation; it’s about advocating for continued improvement and higher standards that everyone involved in the A-League deserves. We will work with the League, and we know they will in turn, work with Clubs and stakeholders to continue to improve the quality of our game as a whole, while Melbourne Victory will continue to push for positive change because our game, our Club and our supporters deserve this.
Thank you for your unwavering support this season. We remain focused on finishing strongly and ensuring our A-League Men’s and Women’s teams deliver more excitement, more goals and more points throughout the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
This continues when our Women’s team hosts Sydney FC at The Home of The Matildas on Sunday, January 25, kick-off 5pm, before the Big Blue rivalry resumes in the A-League Men’s the following day at AAMI Park, kick-off 5:30pm. We look forward to seeing you at both matches.
Yours sincerely,Â
Caroline Carnegie
Managing Director
