Australian Rules umpire Leigh Haussen has been suspended after dressing up as Osama bin Laden at a party, the Australian Football League (AFL) said in a statement sent to CNN.
Haussen dressed as the former Al Qaeda leader at an umpires’ post-season event at a Melbourne restaurant in September, a day after the season-ending Grand Final, the league said.
According to the AFL, the theme of the party was “characters from the 2000s.”
“Haussen dressed in a costume as Osama Bin Laden. There were no skits involved in the umpires’ event. He changed into costume at the venue and wore a mask for only a short period of time before removing it,” reads the statement.
The league added that Haussen cooperated fully with the investigation, but called the costume “inappropriate, offensive, and in poor taste.”
As such, the umpire has been suspended from officiating in the opening round of the 2025 AFL season’s fixtures.
As part of its statement, the AFL included a response from Haussen.
“I am sorry. I made an error of judgement. I never intended to offend anyone,” he said.
CNN has contacted Haussen for further comment.
AFL head of umpiring Stephen McBurney said that Haussen has owned up to his choice of costume.
“Leigh understands the inappropriate nature of his costume,” McBurney said in a statement from the AFL.
“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.
“We will support Leigh to make his return to umpiring AFL football following this suspension.”
