AAP


Former Socceroo Mark Bosnich has called for changes to the A-League match review panel rules in the wake of Sydney FC defender Fabio's unpunished crude tackle on Melbourne Heart teenager Ben Garuccio.


Seventeen-year-old Garuccio is expected to be sidelined for at least a month with ankle ligament damage after being felled from behind in a lunging tackle from Fabio during Sunday's match.


The match review panel did not even assess the incident - replayed numerous times on Foxtel TV news bulletins - when it convened on Monday, because it does not consider incidents already dealt with on the field and referee Strebre Delovski had awarded a free kick.


Heart coach John Aloisi was fuming after the game, describing it as a red-card offence, and Bosnich agreed the outcome was unsatisfactory.


"That's what the match review committee is there for," Bosnich told Fox Sports on Tuesday.


"They (should) change the laws so they can give somebody a little bit of justice on a Monday.


"You can't take back the result, nor can you take back the fact that the boy's going to miss a month-and-a-half.


"But you can give them a semblance of justice by saying that is a red-card offence.


"The referees are under an increasing amount of pressure. They can't see everything, nor can the assistant referees. We don't have video technology unfortunately.


"But that's what the match review committee's there for: to take a look at that tackle and say 'Fabio, I'm sorry, but you've injured that boy in a shocking tackle and, if he's out for six weeks, that's how long you'll be suspended for'."


Bosnich compared the tackle to that from former Melbourne Victory skipper Kevin Muscat which seriously injured then-Heart youngster Adrian Zahra early last year and said Aloisi had every right to be upset.


"That is exactly what we don't want in the game because that could end his career," Bosnich said.