Melbourne
A damning report identified a “toxic” culture at the Collingwood Australian Rules football club Monday, finding systemic racism permeated one of the country’s largest sporting organisations. Collingwood commissioned the independent probe by Aboriginal academic Larissa Behrendt last year after former player Heritier Lumumba alleged he faced discrimination while at the club, including being nicknamed “chimp”.
Behrendt found there was a long history of racist incidents involving the Melbourne-based side which had not been addressed by its leadership. “What is clear is that racism at the club has resulted in profound and enduring harm to First Nations and African players,” Behrendt wrote. “The racism affected them, their communities, and set dangerous norms for the public.”
The report said the issue was more pronounced at Collingwood than other clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL), the country’s most popular spectator sport. “While claims of racism have been made across the AFL, there is something distinct and egregious about Collingwood’s history,” it concluded. Behrendt said Collingwood needed a club-wide cultural shift, including the introduction of policies to address racism and more support for those reporting the issue. Possible remedies included “reparations, compensation, public apology, and commitments to reform”.
The report said Lumumba’s allegations warranted a separate inquiry but cited other well-publicised incidents involving Collingw ood, including a clash that led to one of the most powerful images associated with racism in Australian sport.—APP
