Readings was reported as saying: "I would never go out of my way to do that to an opposition player.
"You have just got to let the players on the pitch do the business. While we want to influence things we should be backstage, not on stage."
Firstly, what exactly did Wei do?
Watching the game live on TV, I saw the coach use his lanky frame to jump and stop the ball going over his head.
When the ball fell it hit Percival on the arm and rolled to the coach's feet. Wei arched over as Percival burrowed in to collect, losing his balance. He immediately straightened up and lifted his arms in the air in resignation as Percival scowled and raised her arms in protest.
Did that warrant a sending off?
No but then that wasn't the Hungarian referee's first blatant howler.
The ref had awarded a penalty to China in the 39th minute after adjudging Betsy Hassett as having handled the ball in the 18m box.
My argument is Wei could have simply let the ball sail over his head but that could easily have been perceived as unsportsmanlike.
That he parried it saved the Kiwis valuable seconds in chasing the ball or waiting for a ball girl to chuck them another.
If anything, the Ferns were their own worst enemies in time wasting. They committed frivolous fouls in the dying minutes rather than focusing on trying to score a winner.
Besides, since when has killing time from a winning side in any sport become an offence? If the Ferns were in China's boots they would have done the same.
I agree with Readings that players should be given room to do their business on the field but when Percival picked up the ball she was off the pitch and Wei was in his enclosure.
Maybe the Ferns coach was showing his displeasure at the age-old Asian custom of coaches barking orders at players on the field, something considered politically incorrect these days.
As for Hassett pointing to the big screen, I share her pain but technically a pretty poor stance for any defender in the box.
Why was she putting both her hands up in surrender mode while charging for the ball?
It seems she did that to ensure her hands wouldn't touch the ball, but that backfired.
Yes, the ref stuffed up big time but from the angle she was standing she could be excused for thinking the hand came into contact with the ball.
Wired for sound with her assistants, did the referee consult the flag carriers on the line?
Does the incident again stress the importance of Fifa using technology where common sense demands?
The purists will argue, as they do in cricket, that's the very essence of a scintillating game so, therefore, the ref's decision is final.
Readings must be shattered to miss another cup playoffs in his fourth year at the helm but it's debatable if the ref's the reason for the Ferns missing the cull again.
The whole saga reeks of sore losers, by implication of myopic fans, who will rope in Fifa and Sepp Blatter if granted licence.
Any suggestions that it's acceptable to shake hands at a social competitive level, where some meathead hacks you down, or among the young but unpalatable at an elite level is tantamount to saying the standard of impropriety is excusable the second one ascends to the higher echelons of existence.
Just because NZ Football boss Fred de Jong has no qualms it doesn't mean the boundaries of etiquette need redefining.
The bottom line is the world No17 Ferns should have performed considerably better in their matches leading up to No 16 China.
The 1-0 loss to No 12 Netherlands and the score-less draw against No 8 Canada were well shy of a team wanting to break out of their pool.
Frankly Amber Hearns should have scored the penalty kick for a team desperately relying on their last match and leaving their fate in the hands of the opposition. Maybe Readings and the blokes' Under-20 World Cup counterparts in New Zealand need to spend quality time teaching players the finer points of taking penalty kicks.
World Cups, like other tournaments, are about treating every game as a knockout and having no respect for world rankings.
Yes, any other day a 0-0 result against a higher-ranked Canada would have helped accrue valuable points to boost the Ferns' status.
It's also a given that another day the Kiwis may have been able to score several goals against teams they have struggled to beat in Canada but what is there to say those nations particularly care what happens in matches between World Cups?
The Ferns did play their hearts out but it took one infantile moment from Readings to detract from their efforts. It seems that sinking feeling, coupled with losing high-performance funding, got the better of him.
