Central Coast captain Matt Simon has apologised for the foul-mouthed tirade at an A-League referee which has led to him being cited by the FFA under the national code of conduct.
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The Mariners forward has issued a written apology to referee Stephen Lucas and confirmed he intends to plead guilty to the breach.
Simon was cited after being shown a red card in the Mariners' 5-3 defeat to Brisbane last Friday.
As he left the field he appeared to swear repeatedly at Lucas.
"I have used the recent days as an opportunity to reflect on my conduct on Friday evening," Simon said in a statement.
"My outburst fell below the standards I set for myself and that, as captain, I set for my team-mates. For this, I apologise to the referee, Stephen Lucas, and have done so in writing.
"Stephen deserves respect for his profession. Like players, referees aspire to reach the top of their craft and deserve support. I undermined this commitment last Friday night."
The Mariners, after consultation with Professional Footballers Australia, have submitted to the FFA what they believe would be appropriate sanctions to be applied to Simon.
A submission will also be lodged with the FFA including proposed club sanctions on Simon regarding his behaviour.
"I have always taken great pride in pushing myself, my team-mates and even my opponents as hard as I can to achieve success on the field," he said.
"I know I often run very close to the line, I like to think that I don't cross it too often, having only received one red card across 12 years and almost 250 A-League matches."
It's expected Simon's full sanction will be revealed on Monday.
In other news, Mariners defender Jake McGing has been released from his A-League deal to link up with Polish outfit Wisla Plock.
The 24-year-old McGing debuted for the Mariners in 2015 and made 82 appearances for the club.
He has been released with immediate effect to join Wisla Plock, who sit second-last in the Polish Ekstraklasa top division with four wins in 23 games.
Australian Associated Press
