Collingwood President Eddie McGuire has declared the public release of an independent report that uncovered evidence of “systemic racism” within his AFL club “a historic and proud day” and says “the fight against racism and discrimination is where we want to be”.
The damning 35-page report was tabled with the club’s board in December, months after 2010 premiership player Heritier Lumumba said he had been subject to racist abuse while playing.
It found a culture of racism in the club had “resulted in profound and enduring harm to First Nations and African players”.
“There is a gap between what Collingwood Football Club says it stands for and what it does,” the report read.
“While claims of racism have been made across the AFL, there is something distinct and egregious about Collingwood’s history.”
Addressing the media on Monday afternoon alongside Collingwood’s chief executive Mark Anderson and members of their Integrity Committee, Mr McGuire said he welcomed the report.
The club has vowed to implement all of the report’s recommendations.
“We have spent the last six years in a deep dive into how we can make ourselves better, provide leadership and conversation in the community as only Collingwood can,” Mr McGuire said.
“We have decided as a club that this fight against racism and discrimination is where we want to be.”
The president, who announced in December he would step down at the end of 2021, said the report was a review not a criticism, and the club deserved credibility for displaying a will to change.
“It’s a day of pride. People have to get past the idea of tearing down people, tearing down institutions who are prepared to look within themselves to make the hard decisions and make things different.
“We’re not a racist club. We’re a club that tries to do well.”
Mr McGuire stressed that while the report was independent it was commissioned by the club with a view to assess its processes.
“I don’t think there’s any shame or disappointment,” he said.
“It is very strong because we asked them to go as hard as they could, so we could have a base to build our club on.
“We didn’t want a beauty competition. We wanted to find out what we need to do things better.
The report was conducted by Professor Larissa Behrendt, who is a Eualeyai/Kamilaroi woman, and Professor Lindon Coombes from the University of Technology in Sydney.
The authors found Collingwood had become “synonymous with off-field and on-field racism in Australian sport” and criticised the club’s leadership for it’s “guns pointing out” approach to dealing with complaints.
“This has also meant that Collingwood’s response has often been perceived as one where claims of racism are dealt with in terms of damage control and protecting the brand, rather than seeking to address issues and make change,” it read.
It also found there was an absence of internal avenues for reporting racism in the club until very recently.
“All of this comes back to the leadership of the Collingwood Football Club – particularly its board – and the need for them to set the vision and values of the club and to drive structural change within the organisation,” the report read.
But the review also found there was an acknowledgement of past failures and desire to do better by the club’s leadership.
Positive steps already taken by Collingwood include the introduction of policies that directly target racism and the appointment of a new CEO who is committed to making changes.
The report made 18 recommendations, including urging Collingwood to ensure accountability and consequences for acts of racism within the club and to develop a strategy to address and reconcile past acts of racism.
It was commissioned by Collingwood’s board last year after a series of allegations made by Mr Lumumba, a former player.
Calls for Mr McGuire to resign
Mr McGuire’s claims of pride over a report uncovering his club’s “systemic racism” have led to angry calls for the president’s resignation as the hashtag #EddiesGottaGo trended on Twitter.
Victoria’s first Indigenous member of parliament Lidia Thorpe, who grew up in Collingwood and supported the Magpies, has demanded the club remove Mr McGuire.
“A ‘proud day’ – what is there to be proud of? Proud to be called out for systemic racism? Do you think those that experienced this racism feel ‘proud’ today?” Ms Thorpe tweeted on Monday.
Greens Senator for NSW Mehreen Faruqi slammed Mr McGuire’s claims of “a historic and proud day” in response to the report.
“A “historic and proud day”!?!? You have to be kidding me. This is NOT how you respond to findings of systemic racism in the organisation you lead #EddiesGottaGo,” she tweeted.
Some Collingwood fans also joined the damning chorus against their club’s president.
Alastair Moore said the supporter base of his club had a “cultural issue” and added that the best 21st birthday gift he could ask for “would be Eddie’s resignation”.
‘My black life didn’t matter’
Following the Black Lives Matter protests in June last year, Mr Lumumba spoke publicly about experiencing racism within the club, including allegations he was given the nickname “chimp”.
“You use the ‘Black Lives Matter’ hashtag, now you’ve entered the discussion. Let’s talk about black lives. And let’s talk about how it was clear that my black life didn’t matter to you at the time that I was at the club,” he said last year.
He has since sued his former club and the AFL for failing to provide a “safe working environment free of racial abuse”.
His allegations were not investigated as part of the ‘Do Better’ report after he opted out of the process.
“It is not appropriate to review those allegations without Mr Lumumba’s involvement,” the report said.
“Nothing in this review can be taken as exonerating the Club from any alleged wrongdoing.”
With AAP.
