AFL stars barred by Thailand: [3 All-round Metro Edition]
John Stapleton, Dan Koch. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 13 Oct 2005: 3.
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Abstract
FOUR players from the Brisbane Lions football club are being flown back to Australia in disgrace after they were refused entry into Thailand over their behaviour on board a flight to Bangkok.
Two of the AFL players involved are believed to be Lions vice- captain Justin Leppitsch, 30, and utility Tim Notting, 27.
Lions CEO Michael Bowers was quick to distance himself and the club from the affair.
FOUR players from the Brisbane Lions football club are being flown back to Australia in disgrace after they were refused entry into Thailand over their behaviour on board a flight to Bangkok.
Two of the AFL players involved are believed to be Lions vice- captain Justin Leppitsch, 30, and utility Tim Notting, 27.
A Lions official was also believed to be among the four identified by authorities after the plane touched down.
Lions CEO Michael Bowers was quick to distance himself and the club from the affair.
"The people involved are all on annual leave and as such are private Australian citizens," Mr Bowers said.
A total of seven Australian men were refused entry by the Thai authorities.
The incident caps off a poor season for the Lions, who failed to make the finals after making the past four grand finals and winning three. The club had a bad run of injuries and some of their best players failed to live up to their reputations.
Mr Bowers said the players were not on an official end-of-season footy trip.
"They are not, and the trip is not affiliated with the Brisbane Lions. We will be letting the relevant authorities deal with the matter. It was a privately organised trip, nothing to do with our organisation."
An attendant at the Thai Airlines desk at Bangkok airport said she was aware of the incident but it was against airline policy to give information about passengers.
A spokeswoman for the Australian Federal Police said it had not been notified about the incident and if any charges were laid, it would be up to the Thai authorities.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said she had no details of the incident and could not confirm whether any of the players had sought consular assistance.
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