The Galway barman who was caught in a headlock by Australian footballer Brendan Fevola last weekend said yesterday he was shocked that the player had been allowed to leave Ireland without facing any charges.
Paul Murray suffered a suspected broken cheekbone in the incident in Galway last Sunday night. Fevola was subsequently sent home by the Australian team management.
Mr Murray said yesterday: "I am shocked that he was allowed to leave the country and that charges were not brought against him, even though I had made a formal complaint to the gardaí."
Fevola was in Galway for Australia's International Rules game against Ireland at Pearse Stadium last Saturday night.
He attended the Galway races on Sunday before he went to the Imperial Hotel in Eyre Square shortly before 11pm with about 15 colleagues.
Mr Murray, a barman in the hotel, said the incident happened when he was attempting to telephone the Garda after he received a number of complaints about the behaviour of some of the Australian players.
"I was on the phone to the gardaí when he came in behind the reception hatch and grabbed me in a headlock with his left arm. I'm still in pain five days later. He then dragged me about six feet towards the hotel lift.
"I didn't care so much about the headlock, but I did care about the bottle in his hand, which was outstretched. He was holding the bottle like a weapon. I said to myself, 'I'm going to get a bottle in the head'."
He said another Australian player came out to the reception area and restrained Fevola by grabbing him from behind by the arms. A number of residents who witnessed the assault had given him their phone numbers and he made a full statement to gardaí the following day.
On Monday morning he met three senior members of the Australian touring party, including coach Kevin Sheedy, at the hotel. He showed them CCTV footage of the attack and they then apologised on behalf of the player.
"They were shocked; it was only when they saw the CCTV footage that they started apologising," he said.
Mr Murray said he saw Fevola at the Garda station on Monday afternoon, but the Australian player just looked away. "He never apologised to my face," he said. "We don't ring the gardaí if somebody gets a bit rowdy, but we felt threatened on Sunday night."
Fevola plays for the Carlton Blues club in Melbourne.