Reasons you will hate me

Full House.

'The Howard Government yesterday slammed the door shut on AFL footballers.

Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said that no more footballers would be allowed into Australia under the humanitarian refugee program until at least July next year.

And he said there were no guarantees any footballers would be accepted in the next intake.


"Whether we leave (the quota) at 30 per cent or take it up or down will depend very much on whether we are having success in terms of their integration into the broader community, and what other humanitarian refugee needs there are around the world," he said.


Mr. Andrews said footballers, particularly those hailing from Perth-based team the West Coast Eagles, had experienced serious problems settling in Australia.


"They tend to have more problems and challenges associated with them. Their level of education, for example, is a lot lower than for any other group of refugees," he saod.

"They've been in high level sports for a decade, many of them. Many are young...and many have been immersed in club culture for decades.

It doesn't make much sense to me to acknowledge you have a problem...but not actually slow down the rate of intake until you've dealt with it," he said.


Problems of drink-driving, unlicensed driving and violence have emerged in the nation's footballing community.


In 1996 Jimmy Krakouer was sentenced to 16 years jail after being convicted of drug trafficking, while in 2000 respected Geelong full-forward Gary Ablett, two years after his retirement, was implicated in a hotel room death where a young woman died after an apparent heroin overdose.


In 2004 Port Adelaide's Peter Burgoyne and Adam Heuskes were charged with rape but charges later dropped. The pair, along with Sydney's Michael O'Loughlin, were alleged to have paid the woman "hush money" to keep quiet.



A string of incidents preceded Eagles star Ben Cousins being suspended indefinitely in 2007 for failing to attend two training sessions. After his father admitted he had a "substance abuse" problem, he underwent and completed drug rehabilitation in the US, returning to Perth on the 30th of April to continue treatment, while team-mate Chad Fletcher was named as the player who collapsed during a Las Vegas end-of-season trip, allegedly having 'flatlined'.


Also in 2007, Collingwood's Brodie Holland was fined $2,500 for his role in a fight with a young woman over a taxi cab. After Holland's fiancee was involved in a scuffle with the woman, Holland approached calling the woman a "stupid slut" before trying to tackle her, placing her in a headlock after which she bit him on the stomach, before striking her in the head with his fist. His court appearance was pushed back on two occasions so not to clash with his football commitments; once he faced court no conviction was recorded and no punishment handed out from his club.



Most recently Chris Mainwaring, a dual premiership player with the West Coast Eagles and Seven Network sports newsreader, was found dead in his Cottesloe home, allegedly the result of a mix of ecstasy and cannabis.


75-year-old widow Beverley Hargreaves, a football supporter for 52 years, said the game used to be "lovely".


"Now, it's just not safe. The police presence makes a huge difference but they haven't always been here like this," she said.


Mrs Hargreaves supports the decision to give footballers the cold shoulder as "marvellous".


"I don't mind that they're here, as long as they learn to live like Australians," she said.'

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