Indian cricket captain’s privacy grossly invaded at Crown Resorts Perth
A Crown Resorts contractor has committed an act of gross negligence against international cricketer and Indian captain Virat Kohli.
Crown Resorts has had to "unreservedly" apologise for the privacy invasion after the contractor took video inside Kohli’s room and posted it to social media.
Kohli said he was now “paranoid about my privacy”.
Kohli posted the video to his own accounts calling the “appalling” video an “invasion of privacy”.
The footage shows a man walking through Kohli’s hotel room at the Crown Resort in Perth, filming the room and opening cupboard doors.
Two other people were in the room.
“I understand that fans get very happy and excited seeing their favourite players and get excited to meet them and I’ve always appreciated that,” Kohli wrote on Instagram.
“But this video here is appalling and it’s made me feel very paranoid about my privacy. If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room, then where can I really expect any personal space at all??
“I’m NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy. Please respect people’s privacy and not treat them as a commodity for entertainment.”
Kohli is in Australia for the T20 championship.
Crown Resorts released a statement shortly after the incident saying: “The safety and privacy of our guests is our number one priority, and we are incredibly disappointed this incident has occurred.
“We unreservedly apologise to the guest involved and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure this remains an isolated incident.
“We have zero tolerance for this behaviour, and it falls well below the standards we set for our team members and contractors.”
Crown launched an investigation and fired the individuals in the room. The video has also been removed.
“We are also cooperating with the Indian Cricket team and the International Cricket Council to convey our apologies and will continue to work with them as we progress our investigation,” the Crown spokesperson said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) also condemned the breach.
"The ICC is incredibly disappointed by the gross invasion of privacy suffered by a member of the Indian travelling party at the Crown Perth, during their team's pre-event preparation ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022,” an ICC spokesperson said.
"We continue to work with event hotels and security providers to ensure that this remains an isolated incident and player privacy is fully respected at all times.”
Jonathan Jackson - 01-11-22
