International

An Australian Rules football player has been banned from playing in an amateur league after testing positive for the virus that causes AIDS, a league official said.

The player was not identified.

The North-East Football Union, which runs a league of six teams on the island state of Tasmania, also has decided to bar players with Hepatitis B or C from competing.

North-East Football Union secretary Rhonda Wagner said the banned player had last played for the Winnaleah club’s reserves team more than two months ago.

Wagner said the man had agreed voluntarily not to play after he confirmed to the club that he was HIV-positive, but the league still needed to make a decision on his eligibility.