A footballer in Queensland has been banned for 20 years after kicking an opposition player in the head during the semi-final between the Ipswich Eagles and Redcliffe Tigers in Ipswich.
The vision above shows an Ipswich player kick a helpless Redcliffe player in the head while he is lying on the ground. Tigers' vice president Steve Brown toldย Quest Newspapersย on Wednesdayย the player was concussed and still recovering from the incident.
Brown applauded the way in which the Tigers players reacted to the incident, and suggested it was great team spirit given they all checked up on their injured teammate.
โThe player from the opposition ... just kicked him in the head,โ Brown said.
โNormally when something like that happens a fight breaks out but the players all rushed to check on their teammate. It was great team spirit.โ
A spokesman for AFL Queensland said the player was reported on-field by the umpires, with the matter referred straight to the Tribunal.
โThe reported player was immediately sent from the field under the red card system,โ the spokesman said.
โThe matter was referred directly to AFL Queenslandโs independent Tribunal.
โThe matter was heard by a three-member panel with a non-voting chairman. The reported player elected not to attend the hearing and provided a statement to the tribunal, in which he pleaded guilty and requested the matter be heard in his absence.
โThe tribunal sustained the charge of kicking and handed down a 20-year ban.
โThe player has been automatically de-registered under the AFLโs Deregistration Policy. The player must serve his 20-year ban and then wait a further 12 months before he can apply to be re-registered in accordance with the policy.โ
Following the extreme ban handed down to the Tigers player, Brown said it was good to see a strong stance from AFL Queensland.
โWe donโt need this sort of stuff in our game,โ Brown added.
โIt sends a strong message that this will not be tolerated in our sport.โ
