Australian Rules umpire suspended for Osama bin Laden costume

An Australian Rules umpire has been suspended for dressing up as Osama bin Laden at an end-of-season function, the sport’s governing body said Monday.

Leigh Haussen will not be allowed to officiate during round one of the 2025 season as punishment after attending a restaurant as the mastermind of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The theme of the function, in a private room at the venue in September, was “characters from the 2000s”.

The Australian Football League said Haussen changed into his costume at the eatery and “wore a mask for only a short period of time before removing it”.

“I am sorry. I made an error of judgement. I never intended to offend anyone,” Haussen said in a statement.

AFL umpires’ boss Stephen McBurney said Haussen made a poor decision but had owned his actions and cooperated with its investigation.

“Leigh understands the inappropriate nature of his costume,” McBurney said.

“He has reflected on that choice.

“Leigh is a valued member of the umpiring group with an unblemished record both throughout his umpiring career and since his elevation to the AFL umpires list in 2017,” he added.

Last month six Greater Western Sydney players were banned for periods of up to four matches and seven others fined stemming from another function, themed “controversial couples”.

The AFL said some players performed skits connected to their costumes that it considered “completely unacceptable”.

A dynamic game similar to Ireland’s Gaelic football, Australian rules is the country’s most popular spectator sport.