SYDNEY SWANS PLAYERS ‘FILMED BY STRIPPERS’ DURING EXPLOSIVE HOTEL SCANDAL AS BOMBSHELL WHATSAPP CLAIMS EMERGE — WHILE TZANEROS SOCIALITE GOES TO GROUND AFTER HUSBAND’S SCOTS COLLEGE SHAME, AS THE GROUP CHAT REVEALS A NEW TWIST

Social butterfly goes silent

The socialite housewife of embattled freight boss Arthur Tzaneros has quietly wiped her social media presence as her husband’s shipping empire crumbles and he finds himself at the centre of an extraordinary Scots College old boys’ scandal.

Maude Tzaneros has deleted her accounts in the wake of Arthur’s resignation as boss of freight giant ACFS Port Logistics, which came hours after private WhatsApp messages he sent to more than 100 fellow Scots old boys were made public.

And what a time to go offline.

Arthur, a former Scots student himself, was forced to quit after messages in which he appeared to downplay serious sexual assault allegations against three current students were leaked to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Among his extraordinary comments, Tzaneros reportedly referred to the alleged gang rape as ‘fake news’ and declared it was ‘no Skaf case’.

Three current Scots College students, a 13-year-old boy and two 14-year-old boys, have been charged with aggravated sexual assault in the company of others and aggravated sexual touching of another person.

Tzaneros subsequently issued a grovelling statement to business partners, admitting he had shown a ‘complete lack of sensitivity’.

‘There is no excuse,’ he said, adding that he hoped stepping aside would remove his behaviour from consideration of ACFS’s day-to-day operations.

And while Arthur has retreated from the business empire he and his father Terry built, Maude appears to have embraced a more modern form of crisis management: disappearing from Instagram.

The timing is particularly unfortunate given just how visible the couple have been on Sydney’s social circuit.

Maude has long been a familiar face among the city’s well-heeled set, throwing lavish parties and mixing with a Who’s Who of the social scene.

For her 50th birthday, she hosted a glamorous soirée at Little Felix in the CBD, with guests including former NRL WAG Terry Biviano, socialite Angelique Andrews, Emma Steele and hotelier-philanthropist Harriet Waugh, whose family empire includes Bistro Moncur and The Woollahra Hotel.

The couple have also previously hosted a Valentine’s Day bash aboard the multimillion-dollar superyacht Mischief.

Meanwhile, the Tzaneros family’s business woes have been piling up.

Arthur and Terry co-founded ACFS Port Logistics in 2005, turning it into a freight industry giant before the company collapsed into administration earlier this month.

Terry is expected to take the reins following his son’s resignation.

The collapse came amid reports the company was under mounting financial pressure, even as Arthur holidayed in Mykonos and Sicily while creditors pursued overdue payments.

So much for the good life.

‘Stop speculating!’

Speaking of eastern suburbs types weighing in on the Scots scandal, I was surprised to see Yuliya Sharipova diving head-first into the cesspit that is activist Sherelee Moody’s Instagram comments section this week.

Ms Sharipova, known for driving a lime-green Lamborghini around Double Bay, weighed in under a post on Moody’s Femicide Watch page about the three schoolboys accused of gang rape.

‘They have not been found guilty yet, so they shouldn’t be expelled. Stop speculating!’ she wrote.

Sharipova, who is the mother of a teenage girl, was seemingly trying to make the point that allegations are not convictions.

It isn’t the first time I’ve had to decode something Yuliya’s thumbs have mashed out in broken English.

When I first contacted her about an unrelated and minor court matter last December, she responded via WhatsApp in her typically idiosyncratic English.

‘No AVO at all [sic]. What are you talking about? Where do you get this information?’ she wrote.

‘It’s wrong. I sagest [sic] you to not write any deformation [sic]. You will be taken to court otherwise.’

Ultimately, my day in court never came.

The party from Elle

She may boast nearly 60,000 followers on TikTok, but sources say Elle Salagaras’ recent birthday party was a far cry from the influencer extravaganza one might expect.

The mother of three was due to celebrate last Saturday evening, but bad weather postponed the plans until Sunday afternoon. That and a distinct lack of RSVPs.

At least 100 guests were invited, but I’m told only 15 had confirmed their attendance ahead of the big event. Ouch.

Among those who did turn up looking for a good time was noted inheritance swindler Kashaya Williams, sporting what appeared to be a heavily filtered face.

Naturally, Elle’s husband, Point Capital managing director Lucas Salagaras, was also among the guests.

The afternoon shindig at the Pier One Hotel in Dawes Point was apparently cut short, with the group making a swift exit after allegedly ‘causing too much noise’.

They then retreated to the Salagaras family’s bolthole, a ritzy rental in Darling Point, where they rather cringingly shared footage of themselves dancing on tables.

Oh well. One of the perks of influencer life is, at least, not having to front up to the office on a Monday morning.

Swans’ candid camera

The night out that followed the Sydney Swans’ win over Essendon ended up being a lot more chaotic than anyone inside the club could have imagined.

Sources say the triumphant team headed to dinner in Richmond, with players and staff celebrating together before ending up at the Harlow pub on Church Street.

The coaches remained at the venue until about midnight before (wisely) taking an early dart. Afterwards, a group of about 11 players allegedly continued the night at Maeve Fox, where they were seen doing shots.

And when the shots began flowing and the clothes started coming off, this particular post-match party allegedly took a grubby turn.

What happened next is now the subject of an AFL integrity investigation and a police inquiry focusing on a smaller group of five men.

The quintet eventually found themselves in a hotel room with paid lap dancers – that fact is hardly a secret at this stage. However, I’m now aware of claims swirling via WhatsApps that a camera was set up and footage of the gathering exists.

Whether the alleged camera set-up was done by the boys to preserve the striptease for posterity or was for the entertainers’ own protection is unclear.

The Group Chat understands, purely as a matter of research, that strippers performing for large groups of men, such as at bucks parties, will often request proceedings be filmed for security reasons.

I also note that an earlier batch of WhatsApps, purportedly sent by someone who witnessed the drama unfold in the lobby of the Pullman East Melbourne, alleged that one of the women was telling bystanders she had ‘recorded’ events inside the room.

The room, I am told, was arranged with chairs around the centre, with sources claiming the five players named by the club were among those present for the show.

Isaac Heeney, who spoke with police on Monday before he returned to Sydney, is now understood to be the focus of the police probe into an alleged sexual assault.

Additionally, sources say two small ‘baggies’ were allegedly discovered at the scene.

Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich was asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether illicit drugs were involved.

‘That’s potentially part of the police matter, which we aren’t going to go near,’ Pavlich said in response to a question about whether the players had been drug-tested.

Meanwhile, I’m told no player has claimed ownership of the ‘baggies’, with police understood to be testing their contents. The AFL integrity unit is also examining that aspect of the incident.

The hotel situation allegedly boiled over at about 7am, when sources claim the women came downstairs and encountered men wearing Swans gear, prompting an angry confrontation.

Coach Dean Cox reportedly stepped in, took the women aside and attempted to calm things down before getting them outside the venue.

Police were subsequently called and attended the scene. There is no suggestion Cox acted improperly.

Cox is understood to have then called a team meeting, with some players unconnected to the alleged incident reportedly blindsided by the revelations.

So much for team bonding.

And now, I’m told, there is ‘massive friction’ within the Swans’ playing group, a development unlikely to shock anyone at the team.

The club’s treatment of the players involved is also under scrutiny, with sources claiming Sydney asked the AFL to impose two-week suspensions as an initial punishment.

Adding to the intrigue, Heeney is understood to have spent significantly longer voluntarily speaking with police than some of his teammates.

That is not proof of wrongdoing, of course, and it’s important to remember these are simply allegations with no charges laid. Police and AFL investigations remain ongoing.

‘I might even ask Pauline’

Last month, Anthony Albanese’s prime ministerial limo swept through the gates of Mandalay, one of Point Piper’s most expensive, and gaudiest, residences.

The PM was there for an intimate dinner organised by ex-Cranbrookian Felix Lee, the 25-year-old son of a Chinese property developer.

Lee had promised to donate about $1million to the Labor Party, according to a source familiar with the premise of the event.

That apparently helped secure Albo’s attendance, and, once his RSVP was locked in, attracted a starry guest list of senior businessmen and political heavyweights, including CBA chief executive Matt Comyn (minus his new girlfriend Laura Jayes),  former Victorian premier Dan Andrews and Lowes Menswear heir Josh Penn.

Quite what was discussed behind Mandalay’s sandstone walls remains anyone’s guess.

‘We don’t comment on private meetings,’ a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister’s Office said at the time.

‘Donations are a matter for the Labor Party and will be disclosed in the usual way, as is appropriate.’

And while the evening was not billed as an official ALP fundraiser, questions have since been raised about the gathering.

Sources claim the dinner was hosted and paid for by the younger Lee, with friends and associates from his business network invited only after he had secured the all-important RSVP from Albo.

At $10,000 a head, nine guests around the table would put the potential haul at less than $100,000 for the evening.

The secret soirée quickly attracted headlines over allegations ranging from tax evasion and cash-for-access politics to questions about vetting by the PM’s office and the murky history surrounding the Lee family’s wealth, including alleged links to anti-corruption purges in China.

Now it seems as though one of the dinner guests has decided to have a little fun with the whole affair.

Lowes heir Josh Penn has taken to social media with a tongue-in-cheek invitation to an upcoming dinner party of his own, and the similarities are hard to miss.

‘November 6, my family are hosting the inaugural Whale Beach Invitational at our Whale Beach home,’ the post read.

‘Tickets are $8,000/player with all proceeds going to the Children’s Medical Research Institute at Westmead. DM if interested (spots very limited… I might even ask Albo or Pauline to come).’

Perhaps this time, the guest list comes with a slightly clearer charitable purpose.

Josh is the only son of Lowes clothing CEO Linda Penn and her entrepreneur-slash-dentist husband, David Penn.

The family’s opulent weekender comes complete with its own private golf course.

Perched atop a cliff in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the sprawling 2,150sqm residence is spread across three levels, featuring five bedrooms, five bathrooms and lift access.

The lavish property also boasts sweeping views stretching across Whale Beach towards the Central Coast.

No hangover this year

While Karl Stefanovic may have given commercial television’s night of nights a miss, the former Today host was certainly not sitting at home licking his wounds.

Just months after his abrupt exit from Channel Nine, Stefanovic was instead among a large group dining at the highly acclaimed Sara Dining on the NSW South Coast on Sunday, swapping a rubber-chicken dinner at the Logies for a rather swanky long lunch in the Berry hinterland.

The 52-year-old was spotted at the intimate farm-to-table restaurant at Moraea Farm just days after making it clear he had no intention of joining his former colleagues at the Nine table, despite being nominated for the Ray Martin Award for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter.

Stefanovic had been a well-hydrated fixture at Australia’s television awards for two decades, but was notably absent after being axed by Nine in June.

His departure came after the once brand-safe breakfast TV stalwart welcomed far-right UK activist and outspoken anti-immigration figure Tommy Robinson onto his independent podcast.

His absence certainly did not go unnoticed during the ceremony at The Star.

Host Robert Irwin opened the ceremony with a pointed dig at Stefanovic, telling the room he had not RSVP’d before joking that a spare seat had been kept for him ‘over there to the right, the far right’.