The AFL has confirmed the umpire on the centre of the Brownlow Medal betting scandal has been dumped however voting for the award won’t change because of the drama.
Former area umpire Michael Pell was one in every of 4 males arrested final month over suspicious betting exercise, having allegedly leaked votes on particular matches this 12 months together with these he was concerned in.
But AFL boss Gillon McLachlan mentioned there was no concern over the voting course of and it will “stay exactly the same”.
“All the suggestions I’ve heard, it’s not that they’re not worthy, but they wouldn’t have dealt with this issue,” he mentioned on Thursday.
“In the end, the allegations go to the personal integrity of an individual.
“At some point, right through every system, someone has to make a decision when they have information that, if they‘re compromised, can lead to issues like we’ve allegedly got here.”
The umpires award Brownlow votes on a 3-2-1 foundation after every sport and the voting being saved secret is sacrosanct amongst whistleblowers.
Some former umpires feared backlash after the scandal was revealed, however McLachlan was adamant the integrity of the award had not been compromised.
“There‘s damage caused by that scandal and I think the umpires have been hurting, but I don’t think the integrity of the Brownlow is compromised in any way,” McLachlan mentioned.
“There was not any manipulation of the votes … it was an issue of personal integrity, allegedly. We’ve got to see how that plays out.
“The allegations have wounded the umpires personally and I feel for them, but I don‘t think it bleeds into the Brownlow (itself).”
Pell has been faraway from the umpiring panel, with a alternative to be appointed over summer time, however that was so far as the AFL might go.
“There is no employment relationship between the AFL and the umpire at the centre of the allegations,” McLachlan mentioned.
“The broader consequences are now with the police because it‘s a criminal matter.”
Originally printed as AFL 2022: League boss confirms umpire at centre of Brownlow scandal dumped
