Grand Slam Novak Djokovic Saga: Australia Returns Serb

[Wosh]

Note: This is not a thread to air your views on left/right politics, vaccination mandates or conspiracies, this is a thread to discuss Djokovic and the Australian Open saga only. Humour is accepted and encouraged Abuse is not.
Thanks.

World erupts as Novak Djokovic learns his fate over visa cancellation

The Australian government has been slammed for its handling of the Novak Djokovic saga following the news he will be deported and will miss the Australian Open.

www.news.com.au

 

[Satan]

Serbian president claims SOG was tortured . No cable at the Park Hotel?

 

[myblueroan]

This could be interesting...

No vaccine? No cafe, according to new French virus law

France's parliament has approved a law that will exclude unvaccinated people from restaurants, sports arenas and other venues

abcnews.go.com

 

[Nuggetz]

Another fallout from this is who will get the boot from TA. Monumental stuff up from their end. At the end of the day the correct decision has been made, even if some people thought the process was a bit iffy. Keen for the focus to shift back onto the tennis!

 

[Nuggetz]

This has been a wakeup call for all other grand slam organisers on how NOT to deal with an unvaxxed player.

 

[chickenonachain]

Is Novak the first person to be deported then gets to sit in first class on the plane?

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Serbia has a super low vaccination rate

Interesting. A friend who was living in India during the height of their outbreak wanted to travel to UK. (He was fully vaccinated.) UK would only let him in if he came via another country and served 14 days’ quarantine there. They listed acceptable countries, one of which was - Serbia. He spent two weeks in a Belgrade hotel before continuing to Britain.

 

[Sttew]

I received an email overnight from a cousin in the Netherlands who said the following about Novak:

“It is a wise decision by the judges that Djokovic, the icon of the antivax movement, must leave Australia and that the presence of him (would) lead to social unrest.”

FYI, my cousin is an engineer aged in his 60’s who has no interest in social media.

 

[myblueroan]

Is Novak the first person to be deported then gets to sit in first class on the plane?

Not sure that flight has 3 tiers.

Business class pretty darn nice though. Although eating vegan might present limited options.
If he was allowed that is...might have had a special 'deportation seat'.

 

[Satan]

Is Novak the first person to be deported then gets to sit in first class on the plane?

Paul says hi

Why Paul McCartney Ended Up Spending Nine Days in Jail

Paul McCartney was arrested on Jan. 16, 1980 for bringing marijuana into Japan.

ultimateclassicrock.com

 

[Xtreme]

The air feels much fresher today

 

[phantom13]

Imagine if he gets stranded on 20 slams because no one lets him in to play…

 

[Strange Cat]

Imagine if he gets stranded on 20 slams because no one lets him in to play…

He has only himself to blame , I’m sure he will be fine after he hugs a few trees

 

[myblueroan]

He has only himself to blame , I’m sure he will be fine after he hugs a few trees

The trees require proof of vaccination first.
#Will no one think of the trees
#treerights

 

[Lore]

Not sure that flight has 3 tiers.

Business class pretty darn nice though. Although eating vegan might present limited options.
If he was allowed that is...might have had a special 'deportation seat'.

Emirates usually serve food as a bunch of little dishes in separate trays anyway (called a ‘mezze’). Maybe business class is different, but if it’s anything like what I had last time I flew with them, at least some of the little dishes would be edible for a vegan (such as the tabouleh).

I also tried looking up a first class ticket to Dubai ex Melbourne on the Emirates website and the next available flight is 10.30pm tonight, EK409 which is a Boeing 777. Some 777s only have 2 classes but if they’re offering a first class ticket on that flight then I guess it must have something to fit the bill

 

[Alesana]

It is the issue because if he was vaccinated he never would have been detained in the first place and the minister would not have been able to deport him due to 'the risk of encouraging anti vax sentiment'. Now i dont agree with how the govt TA and the courts have handled this they all have separate questions to answer here but ultimately THE issue is him not being vaccinated, i agree he wouldnt have come if he hadnt been told he had an exemption and he probably honestly believed he had one but if he gets vaccinated it makes the whole issue null and void doesnt it? And no one deports him. Ultimately the choice he made on that is what caused the issue.

If being unvaccinated was THE issue, then why were all the other tennis-people allowed in unvaccinated? Human error? I'll give you that for 1 or 2 of them, but what about the third, fourth, fifth, sixth? What about all the non-tennis people that were getting in with the same exemption?
To quote one of the other players who was allowed in "Serdarusic said that a Border Force official had told him he may face 14-day quarantine after finding out he was unvaccinated and had an exemption. Serdarusic told her he wouldn’t have come to Australia had he known he’d face quarantine.

“Then she called her boss, he looked at the papers, photographed them and told me I could enter the country freely,” Serdarusic told Sport Klub.

This all comes back to ABF allowing people in based on Vic jurisdiction, but not doing that with Djokovic, and applying Federal jurisdiction instead. Nothing to do with him being unvaccinated, everything to do with how they considered the exemptions.

 

[Lore]

If being unvaccinated was THE issue, then why were all the other tennis-people allowed in? Human error? I'll give you that for 1 or 2 of them, but what about the third, fourth, fifth, sixth? What about all the non-tennis people that were getting in with the same exemption?
To quote one of the other players who was allowed in "Serdarusic said that a Border Force official had told him he may face 14-day quarantine after finding out he was unvaccinated and had an exemption. Serdarusic told her he wouldn’t have come to Australia had he known he’d face quarantine.

“Then she called her boss, he looked at the papers, photographed them and told me I could enter the country freely,” Serdarusic told Sport Klub.

This all comes back to ABF allowing people in based on Vic jurisdiction, but not doing that with Djokovic, and applying Federal jurisdiction instead. Nothing to do with him being unvaccinated, everything to do with how they considered the exemptions.

The ABF is a federal authority under federal jurisdiction and carrying out the responsibilities associated with a federal border. They should never have been letting anyone in under state law and it would be a dereliction of duty if they did.

 

[smasha]

French will let him play as a political statement because we snubbed their rubber band powered subs.

 

[phantom13]

As ham fisted and bumbling as it appears (and make no mistake, it looks awful) the process undertaken with Novak is the right one.

Saying what about the ones they let through is akin to saying you shouldnt be fined for speeding because they definitely missed some other speeders.

Ive said all along Novak is a slightly innocent victim in this (Tiley and the Vic gov giving him the green light wasnt his fault) but he could have also ended the fiasco at any point by getting vaxxed.

Not suprisingly one of Novaks tennis playing mates has said he never would have come if not for the green light Tiley and Co gave him. How the Feds and TA never had a meeting to discuss this is absolutely dumbfounding frankly.

 

[Alesana]

The ABF is a federal authority under federal jurisdiction and carrying out the responsibilities associated with a federal border. They should never have been letting anyone in under state law and it would be a dereliction of duty if they did.

You might want to tell that to the PM.

Mr Morrison told reporters on January 5 that Djokovic’s entry was purely “a matter for the Victorian Government”.

“They have provided him with an exemption to come to Australia, and so we then act in accordance with that decision,” he said.

Asked if it was appropriate that an unvaccinated foreign national be allowed in, he said the same rule had been in place “for the last two years”.

“Well, that’s how it works. States provide exemptions for people to enter on those basis, and that’s been happening for the last two years,” he said.

 

[76woodenspooners]

This has been a wakeup call for all other grand slam organisers on how NOT to deal with an unvaxxed player.

To be fair, hard to imagine that sporting administrators in France, US, or UK would have the temerity to think that they have any jurisdiction over border control.

 

[JackNah_8]

TA and Vic government are partially to blame for the visa saga, but no one wants to take any responsibility.

 

[myblueroan]

French will let him play as a political statement because we snubbed their rubber band powered subs.

Good point.

 

[myblueroan]

Emirates usually serve food as a bunch of little dishes in separate trays anyway (called a ‘mezze’). Maybe business class is different, but if it’s anything like what I had last time I flew with them, at least some of the little dishes would be edible for a vegan (such as the tabouleh).

I also tried looking up a first class ticket to Dubai ex Melbourne on the Emirates website and the next available flight is 10.30pm tonight, EK409 which is a Boeing 777. Some 777s only have 2 classes but if they’re offering a first class ticket on that flight then I guess it must have something to fit the bill

Yeah . I thought Melb only got the 2 tier now.
Cheers.

 

[phantom13]

You might want to tell that to the PM.

Mr Morrison told reporters on January 5 that Djokovic’s entry was purely “a matter for the Victorian Government”.

“They have provided him with an exemption to come to Australia, and so we then act in accordance with that decision,” he said.

Asked if it was appropriate that an unvaccinated foreign national be allowed in, he said the same rule had been in place “for the last two years”.

“Well, that’s how it works. States provide exemptions for people to enter on those basis, and that’s been happening for the last two years,” he said.

As silly as it sounds its foolish to pay attention to Scomo talking about anything foreign policy related.

 

[Lore]

As silly as it sounds its foolish to pay attention to Scomo talking

Yes I agree. I was trying to watch the cricket the other day and he appeared in the commentary box. I turned it off and only heard about what he said when it was quoted later.

I don’t think he’ll be appearing in commentary at the AO though. Given what has happened here it would probably not go well.