AFL chairman outlines latest steps in stamping out racism

AFL chairman Richard Goyder has taken to radio waves to announce the league's latest moves to stamp out the scourge of racism.

The 61-year-old's words have come after former footballer Héritier Lumumba took aim at the recently disgraced Taylor Walker, his former president, Eddie McGuire and AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan in a series of tweets on posted on Saturday morning.

1/ I’ve been thinking of Robbie Young a lot in recent days. I hope he and his family are doing ok through the intense attention that has followed him.

— Héritier Lumumba (@iamlumumba) August 14, 2021

In an on-air interview with ABC Radio later that day, Goyder stated that despite Lumumba's views that McLachlan should resign from his current post, the incumbent league boss' tenure would not be cut short.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to chair a commission with a CEO like Gill McLachlan,” Goyder said.

“He is outstanding. Gill is right up there in terms of his integrity, his capacity. There is no better person to lead at an executive level of the AFL than Gill McLachlan on every front including this front.”

Despite his stance, Goyder was empathetic to the pain that the former Magpie and Demon was currently feeling in the wake of Walker's racial slur against ex-Saint and current North Adelaide player, Robbie Young.

The powerbroker also cited the distress that Eddie Betts had worn in an interview earlier in the week as reason enough to continue their fight to eradicate ignorance.

RELATED: Lumumba lambasts league, Walker and McGuire

“The thing we all have to recognise – the football community and more broadly – is the hurt that is evidenced in Heritier's tweets. The impact it has had on Eddie Betts. That is one of the most compelling bits of television that I have seen,” Goyder told listeners.

“We have to realise that we all have to get better. It is terribly disappointing that in this case it was a senior member of a team and it is not as if people aren't being educated on this.”

When asked what was the next move likely to me made by those at AFL House, the former Wesfarmers CEO offered an array of avenues.

“We are going to do a few things," Goyder continued.

"We are going to up the education and make it mandatory, like you do in corporates on various things so that there is a periodic renewal of understanding on cultural awareness.”

Goyder also stressed that more day-to-day support would be approved and put in place within the four walls of the league's 18-clubs for players with Indigenous and Torres Strait Island heritage.

“We are going to make sure that every AFL club has Indigenous liaison people. Full time. We will make room in the soft cap and potentially there will be a stick (punishment) if it is not (done)," he said.

With many punters and pundits believing that Walker's six-week and $20,000 ban was light in comparison to what they deemed necessary, the Western Australian stressed that a slap on the wrist was unlikely for the next player to commit a similarly hateful act.

“There is always a debate, what is the penalty," Goyder mused.

"I think we will turn it around and hopefully this goes through all aspects of the game around the country, which is that you are not in the game until you prove that you should be in the game if you breach things.

“We just all have to get better. The hurt across the community is significant. You have seen it through individuals. There is so much in the game to celebrate with our Indigenous culture and these things just detract form that.”