‘Don’t go there’: Eddie McGuire weighs in on Buddy Franklin booing saga

Eddie McGuire has weighed in on the Buddy Franklin booing saga with a strong warning to Collingwood Magpies fans.

Lance Franklin and Eddie McGuire.

Eddie McGuire has condemned the booing of Buddy Franklin, labelling it “unsportsmanlike” and calling for fans to “stop targeting individual people”.

Franklin was repeatedly booed by spectators during the Sydney Swans’ 29-point loss to Collingwood last weekend.

While many believed it was either to do with the fact they wanted to try and get under the skin of the Swans’ best player or fight back after Sydney tried to rough up young superstar Nick Daicos, there was a bad taste left in fans’ mouths.

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Some even questioned whether the booing was racially motivated by the Pies fans.

The footy world has all had its say with the Swans and AFL condemning the booing, the Pies apologising and standing alongside Franklin.

Even Collingwood legend and former coach Nathan Buckley said on SEN on Monday: “At worst, it’s ignorance and bigotry.”

The booing of Buddy Franklin has been widely condemned. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Indigenous legend Eddie Betts said Franklin’s opinion is the only one that really matters.

“And if Buddy thinks it’s racist, it’s racist. If he doesn’t think it’s racist, it’s not racist,” Betts said on AFL 360.

Speaking on Footy Classified on Wednesday night, McGuire criticised Collingwood supporters for booing Franklin.

“I was at the game watching … When it happened, I went, ‘Oh, geez, don’t go down this (path). Please … just don’t’,” McGuire said.

“One, it’s a superstar, and two, he’s an Indigenous bloke. Just don’t go here, don’t put your head in the lion’s mouth and pull its tail. There’s a time and place. So, I just think, really, Indigenous players have copped enough over the journey that maybe you do make an exception. I know everyone says, ‘Everyone’s equal’, but they haven’t been equal over the journey.”

McGuire, who also criticised the Swans for targeting Magpies youngster Nick Daicos, said there is a time and place for booing but this wasn’t it.

“(Tom) Papley? Boo him all day because of what he did to Nick Daicos,” he said.

Lance Franklin at Swans training this week. Photo by Phil Hillyard

“If Buddy had have cleaned somebody up or done something? Yep, fair enough. If he’s lining up for goal and the scores are level, boo the hell out of him.

“But I just think we need to stop targeting individual people because I just think it’s unsportsmanlike.”

Essendon great Matthew Lloyd said the reaction to the booing of Franklin had been “overkill”.

“I think too much has been made of it throughout the week,” Lloyd said.

“It’s a passionate game.

“I took it (as), and a lot of Collingwood supporters said, ‘He’s a champion player, he’s killed us a lot of times, we wanted to get under his skin and we’ll do it to the next champion player’.

“So I think it’s been a bit of overkill.”

Originally published as ‘Don’t go there’: Eddie McGuire weighs in on Buddy Franklin booing saga