Australian Border Force officials are investigating two more international players after tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa was sensationally canceled upon entry to Melbourne Airport shortly before the Australian Open on January 17.
Djokovic arrived in Australia on Wednesday night and was exempt from the vaccination rules granted by Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government. However, his visa was denied by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
Australian Interior Minister Karen Andrews has confirmed that ABF is conducting further investigations.
“I know there are two individuals currently being investigated by the Australian Border Force,” she told Channel Seven.
Andrews, based on her understanding, said that immigration requirements, not visas, were the issue.
“Border forces have made it very clear that he (Djokovic) was unable to meet the requirement to provide the necessary evidence to enter Australia,” she previously told Nine Network.
Novak Djokovic’s father, Suljan Djokovic, claims that the decision to deport his son was a political motive and submitted the same type of paperwork as the other 25 tennis players Novak granted exemptions. , Djokovic how to treat his son in Australia. None of them had any problems.
The World Champion is currently waiting for a court hearing on Monday to see if he can stay in the country to win ten.th Australian Open champion, defeating Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to become the most Grand Slam-winning male tennis player ever.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is running for federal elections this year, said Thursday morning that no one has crossed Australia’s border immigration rules.
“Mr. Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled. The rules are rules, especially with respect to our borders. No one has exceeded these rules,” he said. I wrote on Twitter..
However, Abul Rizvi, a former deputy secretary of the Immigration Bureau, believes that the ABF and the government are not handling the Serbian champion’s visa issue very well.
“It’s a very bad practice to wait until he arrives at the border and then revoke his visa,” he told ABC Radio. “The process used for Novak Djokovic is infeasible at any scale.”
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the government has always been clear about immigration rules for international arrivals since the border was reopened in December.
“We have revealed it to Tennis Australia. It has been publicly disclosed for a long time. If you are not an Australian citizen to enter Australia, you will need to be double vaccinated,” he said. Told Nine Network.
Former Davis Cup player Paul McNamie, who was the tournament director of the Australian Open from 1995 to 2006, joined the discussion saying it was unfair to Djokovic.
“He plays according to the rules, gets a visa, arrives, is a nine-time champion, and whether people like it or not, he qualifies for fair play,” McNamie told ABC News. rice field.
“There is no doubt that there is some discontinuity between the state and the federal government,” he said. “I don’t think politics is involved, but I feel that way.”
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