Djokovic

Barrita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472715#Comment_118472715

In my opinion, as much as we hate to admit it, they kind of do for a couple of reasons.

He is a man of considerable means, and will not be a sponger on their welfare system.

He is of world renown not a jihadi masquerading as a tennis player.

He clearly is only only going to stay for a couple of weeks. It's not permanent immigration.

He played there last year unvaxxed like every other player.

The mob want him to be treated the same as the bricklayer from Cabra......but that's a bit silly isn't it.

sekiro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472718#Comment_118472718

Didn't he win his appeal though?

Sorry my understanding is that he won his appeal but there is a clause in the rules that the government can make an exception and cancel/deny any visa for any reason and that it is extremely rare for this clause to be invoked.

If anything it seems like they have gone much further out of their way to deport Djokovic than they normally would for someone who has won an appeal against deportation?

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472722#Comment_118472722

Clerical error?

It is more than that. If he has said yes to that question he would likely have been refused entry...so him (his team) said no.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472675#Comment_118472675

Anyone giving providing inaccurate information on the form could plead that. How could the authorities ever tell? The form specifically says it's a serious offence to give false or misleading information. In terms of the offence here it doesn't matter if it was premediated or careless.

This is Djokovic’s fault. 100%. No one else’s

Barrita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472749#Comment_118472749

I think they wouldn't let us in to be fair and I take your point but I would respond by asking this:

If Novak made the same mistake in 2016 do you think Australia would have facilitated a paperwork tidyup?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472746#Comment_118472746

There are winners. Those people who believe in science, stats, and the idea of a societal effort to help combat this nasty disease.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472749#Comment_118472749

I don’t know. Each case is individual.

they had the option to use discretion here. The chap was 1 yard away from the finishing line after a lot of effort and work on both sides. Their pulling the rug from under him was nothing to do with laws/rules/safety; it was purely personal and hostile.

and people being delighted and giddy about it are the very reasons they did what they did.

they had the chance to do the right thing and allow him play, allowing an error on a form. They made the deliberate wrong call

Man Vs ManUre

It’s a kangaroo court over there. Let Djock play tennis.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472751#Comment_118472751

Couldn’t agree more. This “we’re all the same” is nonsense in reality.

nobody is advocating that people can break laws with impunity.

what happened here was not Nole breaking laws.

CruelSummer

Was looking forward to seeing him play in the Open next week. Are the other tennis players who got in on the same exemption as Djokovic let play? The reasons the Australian Government gave being on ‘health grounds’ are a joke to be fair. Victoria and New South Wales are riddled with Covid currently. If Djokovic is recently recovered, he’s no threat to them on health grounds.

Shelga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472663#Comment_118472663

I'm not delighted about anything. This whole incident has been a complete circus. Djokovic is the world's best male tennis player and I would have liked to see him compete.

HOWEVER:

• He blabbed all over social media that he had been granted a medical exemption. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that this was clearly in relation to his unvaccinated status, at a time when many Australian citizens have had extreme difficulty travelling, even within their own country.
• He lied (misled, however you want to phrase it) on his entry form, about not having travelled to other countries in the 14 days prior to travelling to Australia. There is no way that his team didn't know about this requirement, and anyway the buck stops with Djokovic- he is the one seeking the visa.
• He didn't follow Serbia's own rules about isolating when positive. He probably infected a load of kids and a journalist- he didn't even tell the journalist he was positive. There's no way to view this other than Djokovic being an arsehole who doesn't care about the rules or common decency.

From Australia's point of view- they should have anticipated this fiasco as Djokovic is known to have not received the vaccine, and stopped him from flying into the country to begin with. To me it sounds like they need much clearer alignment between their state and federal entry policies.

He really gave Hawke no choice but to cancel his visa at this point. It's not about vaccine status anymore, it's about applying entry rules exactly the same to everyone.

If I tried to get into America or Australia or multiple other countries by lying on my entry form, I would be turfed out and banned from returning. Take the vaccine stance out of this completely. Seems like people want Djokovic to be treated differently to other plebs.

ujjjjjjjjj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472664#Comment_118472664

Or perhaps just don't want to be vaccinated.

Vaccinated myself but entirely support anyone who doesn't want to be and don't immediately assume they believe in some crackpot conspiracy theory.

I wonder about how anyone can get excited about this and as you have done call it 'tremendous news'.

Curtain twitching is about as gentle a term I can use.......

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472751#Comment_118472751

treating him the same as others is silly?

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472761#Comment_118472761

the court case was only on a procedural issue not the facts of his visa application.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472776#Comment_118472776

What could have possibly changed since 2016...oh yes I remember a pandemic...one in which Australia (for better or worse) has for the most part tried to rideout by closing their borders to people where and when possible, especially those who aren't vaccinated.

zom

I feel really sorry for thousands of Djokovic tennis fans dirty tricked by Australia Open organisers and Australia government who issued invitation to the player just to halt him on border and not allowing to play. They got their dirty money bit will NEVER get peoples respect...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472417#Comment_118472417

If you were Djokovic, you'd have no choice but to get the hell our of Australia, cos they're not letting you in.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472794#Comment_118472794

providing misleading information on a visa application IS breaking australian law.

Bobeagleburger

Political suicide to let him in given what Australia have been through with lockdowns.

It appears Novak and him team probably made the decision easy for the Australian government.

Gregor Samsa

Just when I thought I was in, they pull me back out.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472675#Comment_118472675

Do you know the meaning of the term "lying by omission"?

Barrita

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472807#Comment_118472807

I think so yes. Would you expect Joe Biden to quarantine in a hotel if he was on a visit to Australia?

There are always shades of grey.

This is the Tennis tour circuit. You can map out the year, Rolland Garros , Wimbledon , Flushing Meadows. Everyone knows where these players are going to be barring injury.

People are carrying on like Novak turned up in flip flops with a backpack and he is off to the Whitsundays, Ayers Rock and Bondi Junction on the razzle.

He is here to play tennis for a fortnight on the telly and then he will be gone.

Of course he is different to the bricklayer from Cabra. He just is.

zom

"If you or I had done the same, do you think the Australians would have let us in?"

If you are a star that would bring them millions of dollars, sure they will do the same - invite you, get their money and then kick you off.

Imagine your invited to the party just to come a give the present to birthday person and then being thrown out of the door because "they can do it". Surely they can, but it is horribly unfair...

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472749#Comment_118472749

This is what it all comes down to.

This all started with "Novak is abiding by the rules, he got his exemption, he shouldn't be treated any differently because of who he is". Fair enough.

Except now the lunatic fringe says "Well, the rules that Novak broke don't really matter, and he should be treated differently because of who he is".

He's a very unpleasant person and the only people who seem to have any sympathy for him are themselves very unpleasant people.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472852#Comment_118472852

treating everybody equally regardless of status is the definition of fair

quokula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472776#Comment_118472776

If in 2016 he gave misleading information on his visa application on an important question that decides whether people get in or not, then the authorities found out about it, yes he almost certainly would be deported.

Now there wasn't a global pandemic at the time so it would have had to be a different question as that question would not have been as important. But if he was, say, trying to smuggle in an invasive species of animal at the time, rather than potentially smuggling in an invasive virus now, it would have been the same.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472825#Comment_118472825

Quit hiding behind a stroke of a pen on a form here. It’s obtuse.

try assess all that went on: The person, the event, the circumstances, the struggle, the courts, the rulings, the efforts and stresses…

and then see how he made it all the way to the draw after winning his court case. Then just think about the all powerful minister and the attitude of “fook him. I’m not going to use common and decent discretion here an allow this man play. I’m going to send him packing because I can, and it will appease a mob.”

can folks not step away and see the full picture here? Three weeks and he is gone. He is not some nobody. He’s not a criminal, a welfare sponger, a terrorist:

He has been an outstanding servant to the Australian Open.

and we have people hiding behind a form where an omission was made…

so all this, and all people can see and feel is an omission on a form?

I think this is sick

seamus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472776#Comment_118472776

If Novak had arrived in Australia via steam ship in 1889 would he have even had to fill out a form? Rules change, requirements change. The fact that things were different in the past is irrelevant.

If he’s deported does that mean he’ll never be able to play in the Aussie open again?