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AFL star’s Waleed-Turnbull ploy sparks outrage … and then fails

Bachar Houli received a two-week suspension after the trial took his character into account.

Bachar Houli received a two-week suspension after the trial took his character into account. Photo: Getty

Richmond defender Bachar Houli’s two-week suspension from the AFL Tribunal has been sensationally appealed – by the league itself.

Houli, after calling on character references from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly, received the ban for knocking out Carlton’s Jed Lamb with an off-the-ball hit in Sunday’s clash.

The leniency of the punishment shocked the football world as the tribunal jury – comprising David Neitz, Hamish McIntosh and Wayne Henwood – took Houli’s exemplary character into account.

That was despite the tribunal deeming Houli’s strike on Lamb as intentional and of high impact to the head.

The panel said: “It is very rare that we come across an example of such a fine character … and on that basis it’s a two-week penalty.”

The decision was met with outrage in football and political circles, with Collingwood president Eddie McGuire leading the charge, calling it “ridiculous”.

And it is likely to be overturned after AFL general manager of Football Operations, Simon Lethlean, announced an appeal would take place on Thursday evening.

“I have today notified the AFL Appeals Board Tribunal and the Richmond Football Club that the AFL has lodged an appeal against the decision of the Tribunal last night in the case in which Bachar Houli was given a two-match suspension for striking Carlton’s Jed Lamb,” he said.

“The Tribunal panel adjudged the player to be guilty of an intentional strike, which made high contact and caused high impact.

“The AFL is appealing this decision under Regulation 19.2, on the grounds that, amongst other things, the sanction imposed by the Tribunal was manifestly inadequate.

“In conclusion, I want to stress that the AFL takes impact to the head extremely seriously, and this appeal is based on the AFL’s view in relation to the sanction imposed and not a judgement on the character evidence or the character of Bachar Houli in general.”

It is understood to be the first time the AFL has appealed a decision made by their own tribunal.

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Lamb lays motionless after the hit.

The backflip will please the likes of McGuire, who was insistent a player’s off-field character should not be taken into account by the AFL Tribunal.

“It should not be taken into account – what happens in daily life,” he said on Triple M.

“It underlines again that he is a good character but that should not have been brought into the determination of his penalty.

“Now that we are starting to look at what people do in their private lives in giving a suspension for what happens on the ground is totally ridiculous and out of control. This is a precedent.

“You can be Mother Teresa but if you knock somebody out on the ground, you get four weeks. Simple as that.”

Australian Conservatives leader Senator Cory Bernardi couldn’t resist weighing in.

“Prime Minister Turnbull is in hot water again, providing a character reference alongside Waleed Aly for AFL player Bachar Houli on his striking charge,” he posted on Facebook.

Nathan Burke, a former St Kilda player and a current member of the AFL’s match review panel, also queried the tribunal’s decision.

“If somebody goes in next week and does exactly the same thing but doesn’t know Waleed Aly, doesn’t know the prime minister, does that mean they get three or four weeks?” he said on Fox Sports News.

The hearing will be held at 5.30pm [AEST] on Thursday evening.

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