Soccer: Herbert ban reduced

Ricki Herbert. Photo / Getty Images

Wellington coach Ricki Herbert has had his three-match ban reduced to a single game following an A-League judiciary meeting on Wednesday.

The suspension will keep Herbert in the stands for Saturday night's match against Gold Coast.

The Phoenix had appealed the length of Herbert's three-match ban after Football Federation Australia (FFA) upheld the suspension.

An independent match review panel imposed the ban after Herbert was ejected late in the Phoenix's 2-1 defeat of Adelaide in Christchurch on Sunday for the "use of offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures against a match official".

The Wellington club's initial appeal, alleging an "obvious error", was dismissed by FFA's disciplinary committee.

However, as the suspension was longer than the one-match minimum ban for such an offence, the Phoenix appealed its length and provided written submissions to the panel.

- AAP