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The legal standoff continues between the Australian government and tennis champion Novak Djokovic, who was added to the Australian Open table on Thursday but remains under threat of deportation.
The Australian government prolongs the suspense in the Novak Djokovic visa affair. While the world number 1 in world tennis was added to the table for the Australian Open, Thursday, January 13, the Minister of Immigration has not yet made his decision on the possible expulsion of the champion.
The 34-year-old Serb’s hopes of winning a 21e record Grand Slam titles are more threatened than ever, since he admitted to making “mistakes” in his behavior after testing positive for Covid-19 in December and filling out his entry form to Australia.
If he is not expelled, he will be opposed by his Serbian compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic (78e) to 1is round of the Australian Open, according to the draw made Thursday more than an hour late.
Organizers did not say whether the delay was due to uncertainties over Djokovic’s fate, as the government plans for the second time to cancel his visa.
A first cancellation of this precious sesame by the authorities was revoked on January 10 by an Australian judge, a decision which caused a stir.
On Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said no decision has yet been made on a possible visa cancellation and deportation of the player.
The position of Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, who said he was considering an annulment under his discretionary powers, “has not changed,” Scott Morrison added during a press conference .
He recalled that the decision was in the hands of the minister, before declining to any other comment.
Australian Open director and Australian Federation president Craig Tiley, one of the main players in the Djokovic fiasco, declined to answer reporters’ questions following the draw.
A political affair
According to the Melbourne Herald Sun, a government official claimed that allowing Djokovic to stay in Australia without being vaccinated against Covid-19 would set a dangerous precedent.
This source allegedly said that a cancellation of the visa would be in line with the efforts made by the island-continent for months to fight against the spread of the virus.
The legal battle that the government is waging in this affair takes on a political character in this country, which is among those to have experienced some of the most draconian restrictions on the planet, and four months away from general elections.
“Australia’s policy is not to allow unvaccinated people to enter its territory. How we got here is beyond my comprehension,” Labor opposition leader Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. “How is it that Novak Djokovic was able to come here?”
The government of the state of Victoria, home to Melbourne, which hosts the Australian Open, also announced on Thursday that public reception capacity will be limited to 50% due to an increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 and hospitalizations in the region.
An “error in judgment”
Novak Djokovic arrived in Melbourne on January 5, claiming an exemption from vaccination against Covid-19 due to a positive test dated December 16.
Immigration officials rejected this waiver request, stating that a recent infection was insufficient reason. They canceled his visa and the player was placed in a detention center.
But Djokovic’s legal team succeeded in having this decision overturned on January 10 by a court, on a procedural issue related to his questioning at the airport.
On Instagram, the world number 1 admitted Wednesday of “errors”, for not having respected the rules of isolation in Serbia after his contamination and having incorrectly completed his entry form in Australia.
The player with twenty major titles assured to have carried out two negative antigenic tests before events in public on December 16 and 17 in Belgrade.
On the other hand, he recognizes an “error of judgment”, when he received, knowing that he was asymptomatic, the French daily L’Équipe for an interview on December 18.
Djokovic also pleads “human error” to explain how a wrong box in his entry form was checked.
This document, widely circulated by the Australian media, shows that he testified that he had not traveled in the 14 days preceding his arrival. However, he was in Serbia and then in Spain.
With AFP
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