28 March 2006 Herald Sun
Damian Barrett
THE umpire regarded by a majority of players as the best in the AFL will miss the opening round of the season because of a late night out in Cairns early this month.
Three-time Grand Final umpire Mathew James has been suspended indefinitely as part of punishment delivered by the AFL umpiring department.
James was out until 3am after officiating in a NAB Cup match in early March. It is understood the infringement was James' second in the past 12 months, a 6am finish to a night out in Adelaide also being brought to the AFL's attention.
While there is no competition law that bars umpires from being out late after a game, they are told to use discretion when socialising.
James and three umpires – Justin Schmitt, Michael Vozzo and Kieron Nicholls – who accompanied him to Cairns failed to attend a promotion organised by AFL Queensland after the game.
But the umpires have claimed they believed it had been cancelled owing to poor weather.
They have also claimed they were merely socialising with acquaintances in Cairns and only a minimal amount of alcohol was consumed.
All four umpires were spoken to by the AFL about their night out.
The AFL confirmed James would not be considered for Round 1.
"Yes, there has been a disciplinary issue that has been dealt with by the AFL umpiring department," AFL media manager Patrick Keane said.
"Mathew won't be considered for Round 1 and beyond that it will depend on form and selection."
AFL Umpires' Association chief executive Bill Deller said James had accepted the league's decision.
"All we are prepared to say is we support the AFL's moves 100 per cent," Deller said.
The AFL would not allow James to speak about the incident.
In last year's AFL Players' Association survey, James, 31, snared a massive 23.2 per cent of votes as players responded to the question: Who is the best umpire in the AFL?
Hayden Kennedy, with 12.3 per cent of the vote, was the next best umpire.
James also easily won the player vote in the 2004 survey.
The AFL was alerted to the umpires' night out by a disgruntled football official in Cairns.
What is the world coming to when even the poor umps can't go out - and it's only still preseason. Bordering on the ridiculous!
