Football
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Adelaide United coach Guillermo Amor to serve additional A-League ban

Adelaide United coach Guillermo Amor will serve an additional A-League ban of one game plus another two suspended for making "intentional contact" with a match official.

Football Federation Australia (FFA)'s independent disciplinary and ethics committee handed down its decision on Wednesday, two days after hearing Amor's explanation for touching fourth official Adam Fielding in the wake of a controversial decision during the Reds' 3-1 loss to Perth Glory.

Last season's A-League coach of the year was visibly frustrated after referee Jarred Gillett awarded Andy Keogh's 68th-minute goal straight after Glory captain Rostyn Griffiths was perceived to have fouled Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.

Amor's subsequent contact with Fielding prompted Gillett to banish him to the stands at nib Stadium.

The usually mild-mannered Barcelona legend served his mandatory one-match ban in last weekend's goalless draw with Sydney FC, and will now miss Sunday's home clash with the Wellington Phoenix.

Should he be expelled from any future match this season his suspended two-match ban will be activated.

"The committee has zero tolerance for intentional contact with a referee or other match official," the determination read.

"In this case the committee finds there was contact of a kind which should not have occurred.

"Whilst there is a dispute about exactly what happened, it is clear that Mr Amor left the technical area to remonstrate with the fourth official as to what he regarded to be an error in the awarding of a goal against Adelaide United."

With no video evidence available nor witnesses, testimonies from each of the protagonists were key in deciding Amor's punishment.

Fielding submitted a report stating "the feeling of the contact was not a tap, it was also not enough to push me over. It was sufficient to make me take a step forward."

At his hearing on Monday night, Amor strongly denied pushing Fielding or intending to assault him in any way, arguing he merely touched him to gain his attention so he could alert Gillett to the apparent error.

Nevertheless, the committee found "the contact was more than a tap on the shoulder".

"Mr Amor frankly conceded that he is not in a position to deny that he may have used two hands and that he may have placed them on the back of the fourth official," said the determination.

"He says he only ever intended to obtain the attention of the fourth official but seemed to accept that his actions were perceived by the fourth official as having gone too far."

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