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Sydney player racially abused by fan at MCG
Adam Goodes of the Sydney Swans was left visibly upset after an apparent racial taunt from a fan marred his side's victory over Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in an Australian Football League match
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dam Goodes of the Sydney Swans was left visibly upset after an apparent racial taunt from a fan marred his side's victory over Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in an Australian Football League match.
Sydney won 15.12 (102) to 8.7 (55) Friday in the opening match of the AFL's Indigenous Round after Goodes kicked three goals and had 30 possessions. The round is meant to honor Australia's indigenous players' contributions to the AFL.
However the Aboriginal star left the field shaking his head late in the match after pointing to a female fan in a Collingwood jumper, and the supporter was led from the venue by security staff. More than 65,000 attended the match.
Two incidents of racial abuse were also reported at AFL matches in late April, including one involving North Melbourne's Sudanese-born Majak Daw. Television reports said Daw, who escaped to Australia with his family from civil wars in Sudan, was racially abused by a Hawthorn supporter during a match at the MCG.
Sydney coach John Longmire said he didn't have many details of the incident involving Goodes, who is heavily involved in Aboriginal sport and community programs.
"I haven't had a long conversation with Adam and I will in the coming days about it," Longmire said. "Adam was clearly disappointed and upset.
"It's something everyone takes really seriously. But he's happy for the AFL to take the lead and really let them deal with it."
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire went into the Sydney dressing room after the match to offer his apologies for the incident and Longmire said he appreciated the gesture.
"I spoke to Adam, and he told me what he'd heard," McGuire said. "I apologized to him on behalf of the Collingwood Football Club and football people in general.
"We have a zero tolerance at the Collingwood football club on this. It's devastating."
Earlier this month, the AFL said some of its top players would be asked to deliver personal appeals to fans to stop verbally abusing players during games, with those pleas potentially being broadcast before each game on scoreboards at all venues.
