Jeff ‘Joffa’ Corfe won’t attend AFL games until Gillon McLachlan apologises for fan treatment
Will AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan apologise to Jeff ‘Joffa’ Corfe for the recent treatment of footy fans? The league’s boss responds to the Collingwood fanatic’s boycott and silent protest threat.
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AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says he’d be happy to speak to Collingwood diehard Jeff ‘Joffa’ Corfe about the treatment of supporters in recent weeks.
Joffa told the Herald Sun on Thursday he will boycott AFL games until McLachlan apologises to all fans after a recent spate of incidents has seen fans banned and thrown out of games.
“I’ll talk to Joffa if he wants to talk to me,” McLachlan said.
“He’s a great part of our game, he adds colour and theatre and it’s fantastic.”
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Joffa’s protest comes after a Carlton fan being ejected from Marvel Stadium on Saturday for calling an umpire a “bald-headed flog” and a Richmond fan was banned for three matches for allegedly calling an umpire a “green maggot” during the Anzac Day eve clash.
But when asked when McLachlan will make time to speak to Joffa, McLachlan told 3AW: “I’ll hopefully see Joffa at the Collingwood game next week.
“I hope to see him there.”
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McLachlan reiterated there has been no crackdown on fan behaviour.
“There’s been no commentary, crackdown or change in policy about what’s acceptable fan behaviour at games,” McLachlan told 3AW.
“It’s the same it’s been for 100 years or 100-plus years. Come, be your outlet … but do it in a way that respects the people around you.
“It’s self-policing. The fans ultimately decide what that looks like, not me or you, it’s the people around you.
“People who have called the police and called because the supporters around them are calling someone down there. That’s how it’s happening.”
Collingwood has a bye this weekend but Joffa has declared he will not attend the Magpies’ Round 14 clash against Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on June 23 unless McLachlan issues an apology to all supporters.
“I won’t be there, I won’t be at Marvel,” Joffa told the Herald Sun.
“I’m not going to a game until Gil not apologises to me but I’m representing every supporter in Australia who’s had a gutful of what’s going on this year with the way we’ve been labelled and portrayed.
“We’re owed an apology. I really believe that.
“If I’m sitting at the football and I’m too scared to stand up, to cheer, to remonstrate a horrible umpiring decision or to banter an opposition player from the other side of the fence or heaven forbid to boo, what am I even doing there?
“When is it going to end?
“I’m standing up on behalf of not the cheer squad, not the Collingwood supporter but every supporter in Australia because the messages I’m getting from everybody is they’ve had enough.”
The Magpies cheer squad member isn’t alone, revealing he has had contact with supporters from rival clubs willing to boycott games.
Richmond cheer squad member ‘Trout’ has joined the movement, declaring he too will not be attending matches until the league issues an apology.
“If Joffa ends up going to the footy in four weeks’ time, then I’ll go in four weeks’ time. I stand by him,” Trout told the Herald Sun.
“We don’t do this because we don’t want to see football. This (fan crackdown) is wrong, it’s just wrong on so many levels.
“Just say ‘hey the fans, we’ve upset you, we are sorry. We went too far’. Is that too much to ask for?
“This is a stand they can’t control … you don’t control mine or Joffa’s or the fans’ freedom of speech. It’s a free country, we’re entitled to our freedom of speech.”
Meanwhile the official Carlton cheersquad Twitter account posted:
“You’re a star, (Joffa).
“Solidarity mate. We’re responding in a different way — but our statement will be made also. Fans need to unite on this topic and actually be noticed.”
Joffa said a silent protest might be a more effective way to get the message across.
“I’ve been speaking with people from other clubs, interstate clubs, Melbourne clubs and people are keen on a boycott,” he said.
“But the problem with a boycott is if no one boycotts you fall flat on your face.
“You might think you have a massive amount of people boycotting, it might only be 500, so no one is going to notice.
“Another good idea has been that everybody goes to the football with masking tape over their mouths.
“This is how frustrating it’s become that we’ve got to come up with silly ideas like this to try and get our point across ‘hey, leave us alone’.
“We’ve got to come up with a fun way (to make a stand). We’re not at war with the AFL, we want to come up with a fun way to get our message across that we are an integral part of this game, we are the biggest stakeholder, leave us alone.”
The AFL has denied there has been a crackdown on fan behaviour despite a Carlton fan being ejected from Marvel Stadium on Saturday for calling an umpire a “bald-headed flog”.
That incident followed a Richmond supporter being banned for three matches for allegedly calling an umpire a “green maggot” during the Anzac Day eve clash between the Tigers and Demons.
When asked whether he believed the AFL when it said there hasn’t been a crackdown, Joffa said: “That’s a horrible lie. That is a horrible lie.”
Joffa has taken aim at McLachlan, declaring he hasn’t done what he promised when he took over as CEO from Andrew Demetriou in 2014.
“Gil came onto the scene several years ago promising that he was there for the supporter, he was there for us and that he was going to make football better again for the supporters,” he said.
“Gil owes us an apology. I think he should say ‘sorry, look we’ve overreacted on some of this stuff, some of the reporting hasn’t been accurate, we’re sorry, get to the football, cheer your club, do it decently and let’s all have fun’.
“This season in particular has been horrible for football fans because every time we turn on the radio, read a newspaper … we’re being victimised.
“All this stuff we’re hearing has caused a lot of heartache to a lot of people. We don’t know what we are anymore. We go to the football and we don’t know what to do. We sit there, in the passion of the moment we don’t know do I stand up now and scream out something or do I sit down and shut up? Is someone secretly filming me? Is somebody from the other side of the ground going to ring this anti-social number and make a false claim about me?
“I’m not doing this for me or the Collingwood cheer squad, I’ve had messages and feedback from supporters right across Australia. Everybody is fed up.”
Trout has urged the AFL to take a step back and allow fans to be passionate at games.
“I just want them to relax,” he said.
“The crowd self-manages. We’ve got reporting bad behaviour and all this sort of stuff, these heavy-handed tactics are not needed.
“If I come out and say something abusive to the umpire and someone reports my speak, in the past they used to come down and say ‘hey, tone it down or you’re going to be out if we have another complaint’ but now it’s just bang, gone, out the door, photo taken and sent to the club, you’re out.
“You can’t say I didn’t say it, you’re just gone.
“This country is not built on that. That’s a dictatorship not a democracy.
“I just want them to back off.”
Trout doesn’t believe there hasn’t been a crackdown on fan behaviour and has a message for the league.
“I absolutely do not believe that comment,” he said. “Somebody has directed it.
“Don’t play games, we’re not stupid.”
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