Roosters officials are under scrutiny following an incident during a pool match between the LA Roosters and Brisbane Veterans in Las Vegas. The game, which ended in a 12-10 victory for Brisbane, sparked a reaction from club chairman Nick Politis and businessman Mark Bouris, both of whom were also supporting the touring Greece side.
Referee Reports Confrontation
The match official, James, detailed the incident in a statement to the NRL, revealing that he was later removed from his touchline duties for the Greece vs USA game.
“Mr. Mark Bouris and Mr. Nick Politis confronted me,” he wrote. “Mr. Bouris stated, ‘I’ve seen a lot of football, and that was a disgrace! You reffed us out of the game.’
“I responded, ‘And all your advice has been good too, has it, Mark?’ Following this, Mr. Politis began making additional remarks, at which point the ground manager intervened and ushered me away from the situation.”
The matter has since been escalated to the NRL Integrity Unit by Graham Annesley.
Bouris Responds
Mark Bouris has acknowledged that an exchange took place but denies any hostility or inappropriate behavior towards James.
“We were not in his face. I made sure we stayed at a distance. We were not threatening, we didn’t abuse him, and we didn’t swear,” Bouris told the Herald.
*”We did go over, and I did say that I had seen a lot of football and that refereeing was disgraceful. Nick said something similar. I do not believe I said he ‘reffed us out of the game’—maybe someone else did.
“He may have filed a formal complaint against us, but we also filed one against him at the tournament because of the poor standard of refereeing.”*
Unusual Accusation
James also alleged in his report that he was accused of being the father of two Brisbane players—despite being just 35 years old, while the youngest player was “about 28.”