Canberra FC coach Andy Bernal will follow the lead of World Cup winner Marcello Lippi and kick back with a cigar in the grandstand after receiving a four-game ban for being ejected from the technical area.
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The former Socceroo will watch his team from behind the fence when Canberra FC takes on the Cooma Tigers in the Capital Football National Premier League preliminary final at McKellar Park on Saturday.
Referee Richard Naumovski gave Bernal his marching orders in the late stages of last Sunday's 3-2 extra-time win against Canberra Olympic in the elimination final at Deakin Stadium.
Capital Football competitions manager Chris Doyle said there was a reference to time-wasting in the referee's report but would not elaborate on the incident because it would prejudice an appeal hearing.
Bernal confirmed he would be lodging an appeal to be heard next week.
"I'd like my chance to go to the tribunal and state my case because I totally disagree with the referee's statement," Bernal said.
"I'm not even that upset about it. It is what it is.
"In the end, Capital Football are the power-to-be and you have to go with what's dished out, but I feel I need to argue this one because it's a charge of something I didn't do.
"I'm quietly confident I can state a good case."
Bernal received an automatic one-game ban that cannot be overturned, plus an additional three games.
Before taking over as coach when Ray Junna was sacked from Canberra FC midway through the season, Bernal had a distinguished playing career, including 21 appearances for the Socceroos from 1989 to 1996 along with more than 180 appearances for English club Reading.
"I've accumulated my fair share of red cards and yellow cards playing at Reading and the Socceroos for going to war and getting stuck in," Bernal said.
"Four weeks is really harsh for so-called time-wasting when worse is being done every week in competitions here in Australia and around the world."
Doyle said Bernal was charged in accordance with the penalties outlined in the organisation's dispute and disciplinary regulations.
"The referee's report made reference to that [time-wasting] but the official charge is being ejected from the technical area," Doyle said.
"Whatever's contained in the referee's report, that's deemed to be an accurate record of events.
"A person that has been charged with something certainly reserves the right to go to a tribunal and have a hearing and put forward their case."
In the meantime, Bernal will watch Canberra FC from the stands just like Lippi was forced to do for Guangzhou Evergrande's Asian Champions League quarter-final second leg against the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Lippi was banned for one game for storming on to the pitch and had to be pulled away from a confrontation with referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan and Wanderers coach Tony Popovic.
Bernal is allowed in the grandstand but is banned from the technical area or his team's changeroom.
"If I do have to be in the stand, then I'll go into the stand like Marcello Lippi and grab a cigar and do it in style," Bernal said.
