The Australian Open could be thrown into disarray with Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews revealing other international players are also being investigated after Novak Djokovic’s visa was deemed invalid.
Andrews confirmed the Australian Border Force, which she oversees, is looking at other players who have travelled to Australia in similar circumstances for the Open.
“I will be briefed further on that potentially today,” she told the Nine Network.
“But we do have the intelligence to indicate there are some individuals here now that have not met the entry requirements and we have to investigate that.”
Andrews could not say how many players were being investigated, adding anyone entering Australia had to show evidence of vaccination or medical reasons why they are not vaccinated.
“I know there is a lot of chatter about the visa. The visa, on my understanding, is not the issue, it is the entry requirement.
“The (Australian) Border Force has been very clear that he (Novak) was not able to meet the requirement to provide the evidence he needed for entry to Australia.”
The world No.1 faces another three days in an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne amid one of the great modern sports controversies, waiting for a legal ruling over whether he can defend the Australian crown he’s won nine times.
Beyond the quiet of his hotel, the outcry in his native Serbia over the treatment of Djokovic is growing with his family saying he had been “held captive” in Australia and insisting the treatment of one of sport’s greatest performers was a disgrace.
Nearer to home, former Davis Cup player Paul McNamee who ran the Australian Open from 1995 until 2006 as tournament director, joined those who think the 34-year-old deserved his day on court, not in court.
“It’s not fair. The guy played by the rules, he got his visa, he arrives, he’s a nine-time champion and whether people like it or not he’s entitled to fair play,” McNamee told ABC News.
“There’s no doubt there’s some disconnect between the state and the federal government.
“I hate to think politics are involved but it feels that way.”
Djokovic had travelled to Australia after Victoria state authorities granted him an exemption to the vaccination rules but on arrival on Wednesday night, the ABF rejected the visa.
A court hearing to attempt to stop his deportation is set for Monday at the secure hotel used more often by immigration officials to house asylum seekers and refugees.
“He is the only player that I’ve ever known in the history of the Australian Open that has had his visa rescinded,” said McNamee.
“Players need to know with confidence that if they’re flying round the world to events, there’s not going to be this sort of problem at entry.
“It’s a problem we’ve seen over the last two years in Australia and the victim of that is the No.1 player in the world.
“He was following the rules. Now you might be angry that he was given an exemption, but players need to have confidence that the rules they abide by are going to be enforced.
“It’s not fair to him. Whether you like the rules or not, he doesn’t make the rules – so he deserves his day on court and not in court, in my opinion.”
In Serbia, where Djokovic is idolised as a nation hero, his family held a rally in front of the country’s parliament building in the capital Belgrade, with around 300 fans chanting slogans backing him.
His father Srdjan promised the crowd the protests would be held every day until Djokovic was released.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
Gees I don't know what to believe now and from whom - an anonymous bloke on a sports blog who merely poses several questions, another anonymous bloke who says the other bloke is right - on the persuasive basis of "it seems" :laughing: - or the responsible Minister's unequivocal public statements and those of Border Force? Australian Border Force' web site says, on January 6: "The ABF can confirm that Mr Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled. Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia." The Minister's web site on January 5: "Any individual seeking to enter Australia must comply with our strict border requirements [see AF web site above]. While the Victorian Government and Tennis Australia may permit a non-vaccinated player to compete in the Australian Open, it is the Commonwealth Government that will enforce our requirements at the Australian border. Since 15 December 2021 fully vaccinated eligible visa holders can travel to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption, and enter eligible states and territories quarantine free. If an arriving individual is not vaccinated, they must provide acceptable proof that they cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons to be able to access the same travel arrangement as fully vaccinated travellers." ABC News January 6 reported Djokovic is "challenging the Australian Border Force’s decision to cancel his visa by applying for a judicial review" before Justice Anthony Kelly in the Federal Court on Monday at 10am. Justice Kelly ordered the parties submissions be lodged today (Djokovic) and tomorrow (ABF); and that the Minister be restrained from deporting Djokovic until 4pm on Monday. I understand one usually applies for the visa well before entry, satisfies type, activity, duration and other rules and is issued the visa before departing for Australia. Other requirements must be satisfied upon entry - drugs, smokes, cash, food and, lately, those for the Wuhan virus. If those requirements are not met then the Border blokes must cancel the visa as a prerequisite to deportation.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
He was looking solely at this from a business point of view. Djokovic brought bums on seats and tv monies. That Tiley released his memo stating that having covid within the last 6 months would be allowed to compete goes against what the Commonwealth Dept of health told him. Don't blame the government here, blame should be fully slated on Tiley.
Donutinadonut
Roar Rookie
Visa and border entry are two sides of the same coin for getting into Australia. You can’t really separate them. Brains trust is right it seems Border Force just plain missed the others and only knew of Novak from his social media post, some questions need to be asked there
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Why would he be the link man when you have Tiley, Djokovic would not have come to Australia unless ironically he bit the bullet and got vaccinated if Tiley had not been looking for a loophole, and informed Djokovic he was not going to be allowed in once he got that letter from the Federal government.
Ross Wright
Roar Rookie
Surely Craig Tiley has to resign over this given he has overseen the issue of exemptions that are inconsistent with the ‘entry to australia’ advice sought and given to him by a Federal Government minister. T That he has not shared that advice with the Victorian government ‘expert panel’ is outrageous and has corrupted the expert panels ability to apply the rules stipulated. At best, this shows appalling oversight or fraud of the process at worst. He has to go.
Nat
Roar Guru
Did McNamee just out himself as the link man between TA and the Vic Govt to allow these players entry upon circumspect exemptions?
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
In the Roar piece just above: Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews: “I know there is a lot of chatter about the visa. The visa, on my understanding, is not the issue, it is the entry requirement.” Telegraph, January 7 and January 6: “Minister Home Affairs Karen Andrews reiterating on Friday morning that this is not a visa issue“
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
Senior Counsel McNamee of Chambers weighs in with his considered, expert advice founded first on: “It’s not fair." :stoked: Then McNamee QC LLB backs that up with precedent, as a clever barrister should, of: "... he’s a nine-time champion ... he’s entitled to ... play” That precedent was ignored by the Court when other many-time-champions were assessed according to the rules of this and that - Marion Jones, Tonya Harding, Johnson, Armstrong. .. and his closing address focuses clearly on who is to blame, not being Our Novak. The naive lad is creative - he's turned up with a dog-eared certificate (with white outs) from a local doctor, hiding in the foothills overlooking the seaport of Požega, sent on a battered roneo machine, left over from the war. He's clicked over $215,000,000 in prize money - you'd reckon he could afford a better dressed forger! My several Yugoslav mates will see nothing at all wrong with what he is up to! :stoked:
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The question is how did all these people get into the country already. Assuming they are international travellers. Did they use a different category of visa which allows medical exemptions. If they were using the COVID in the last six months as the medical exemption which isnt valid except for Tennis Australia how did they pass on those grounds. DId the Victorian government help these cases before they got cold feet over Djokovic.