Jeff Kennett’s security staff comments were damaging to the game and he should be punished
In recent weeks fans have been thrown out and banned from matches for making comments and yet Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett escaped punishment for his “new arrivals” remarks about security staff. Why? Mark Robinson’s take.
Mark Robinson
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It has always been said that life’s about who you know, not what you know.
In the AFL world, it’s certainly who you are.
Unquestionably, the AFL holds to account its supporters more than its club presidents, whose profiles are 1000 times higher than your average “Frankie’’.
Frankie was the Carlton fan tossed from a game for calling an umpire a bald-headed flog.
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Then there was the Richmond cheer squad member who called an umpire a green maggot.
He was suspended for three weeks by the Tigers, who acted after the AFL flexed its muscles.
Yet this week, Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett, a former state premier and a trailblazer at Beyond Blue, labelled the aisle walkers at Marvel Stadium “new arrivals’’.
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“I’m not being racist when I say this, but when I saw some of the footage, the people who are making judgments while they wear these authoritative coats are not people who appear to have a great knowledge of our game,” Kennett said.
“And yet they make judgments about what’s correct and what’s not correct. They are new arrivals to Australia, it appears.’’
But what happens to Jeff? Nothing.
The initial comment was made on the highest-rating radio station in Melbourne, 3AW and he doubled-down on SEN radio the next morning.
In an about-face on the same afternoon, following a phone call from AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, he apologised.
He announced this on Twitter, an account that has 30,000 followers.
“This morning I spoke to Gill McLachlan about my comments yesterday ‘re a Behavioural Awareness Officer at Marvel Stadium at Friday night’s game. I expressed my regret at using some of the words I did and apologise for doing so,’’ he wrote.
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This morning I spoke to Gill McLachlan about my comments yesterday 're a Behavioural Awareness Officer at Marvel Stadium at Friday night's game. I expressed my regret at using some of the words I did and apologise for doing so.
— Jeff Kennett (@jeff_kennett) June 18, 2019
That it took McLachlan’s call for Kennett to apologise suggests it was done under sufferance. That it was said in the first place was simply staggering.
The AFL, to this point, has not punished Kennett.
Why haven’t they?
Earlier this season, a Richmond fan labelled West Coast player Liam Ryan a “monkey’’.
The fan apologised, just like Kennett. He even posted a video of himself apologising.
“I hope that Liam can accept this apology as I have truly learnt the seriousness of this matter,’’ the fan said.
Still, he was banned from AFL matches for two years pending him completing an indigenous cultural awareness and education program.
And Kennett? Nothing.
Tigers champion Jack Riewoldt said at the time the behaviour of some fans at games and online was “embarrassing”.
What would Riewoldt think of Kennett’s comments? What would he think if Richmond president Peggy O’Neal said what Kennett said?
Racism is racism, isn’t it? We can’t have varying degrees, can we?
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So why does one man cop two years and Kennett — a well-respected, high-achieving and highly intelligent man who moves in the upper echelons of Melbourne society — go unpunished?
This required strong leadership from the AFL. Yet it did not happen.
McLachlan called out Kennett out at his Tuesday press conference, but baulked when asked if Kennett would be punished.
The same AFL, remember, who leaned on Richmond to ban a cheer squad member.
It’s little wonder the AFL is known as the boys’ club and it’s little wonder there is a disconnect between regular fans and those who run the game.
Kennett should not be told to consider his position as club president. Because surely he asked himself the same question.
The irony is that Kennett has asked the State Government, the AFL and presumably will ask the Federal Government for funding upwards of $50 million to build Hawthorn’s new Dingley home base.
It will include training facilities for both the men’s and women’s football teams and also provide a community education and learning centre.
Let’s hope any new arrivals can use it to garner “a greater knowledge of our game’’.
AFL commission chairman Richard Goyder would be disappointed in Kennett.
But how can Goyder be proud of the decisions to ban loudmouth and racist supporters when a club president escapes sanction?
Clearly, it would have been worse for Kennett if he had have called the aisle walkers orange maggots.
The fact is Kennett’s comments are damaging to the game.
Because if this game is going to flourish over the next 20, 30 or 70 years, diversity of supporters, including the very valuable first-generation supporters, need to be welcomed and not be subjected to moronic comments about being new arrivals.
Certainly, it hasn’t been a wonderful week for the Hawks.
On Thursday night there was a run of unfortunate comments from its fans on a news story paying tribute to Adam Goodes.
The story announced the Hawthorn players would be wearing No.37 during their warm-up for Friday night’s match in Sydney as a show of respect for Goodes.
Sadly, not all fans were happy.
It’s not only football in which the class system is at play.
Just this week, little-known jumps jockey Martin Kelly revealed his torment and stupidity of betting on races he was riding in — wagers between $20 and $25 — and was banned for 20 months.
In 2010, champion jockey Damien Oliver was disqualified for just eight months after admitting to allegedly placing around $10,000 via a third party on a rival horse in a race in which he rode.
Yep, life’s about who you are. That can’t be denied.
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