Lucy Zelic sparks furore after calling Adelaide a shithole

Lucy Zelic sets off an unholy war in the City of Churches after giving it an epic spray.

SBS host Lucy Zelic. Picture: Chris Pavlich

SBS broadcaster Lucy Zelic has become the latest eastern states identity to spark a holy war in the City of Churches after labelling Adelaide a “shit hole” and “incredibly dull” in a football podcast.

South Australians from the Premier down lined up to denounce Zelic after she launched what Adelaideans described as an “unprovoked” and “outrageous” attack on their famously touchy home town.

Zelic made the comments during a podcast of the SBS football program The World Game on Monday while interviewing Central Coast Mariners recruit Ziggy Gordon.

“You won’t see much in Adelaide,” Zelic told the Scotsman when asking if he planned to visit much of Australia.

“Adelaide’s a shithole. No disrespect, no disrespect. I can say that because I’ve travelled there multiple times and I didn’t enjoy it.

“I found it to be incredibly dull and boring.”

It was the use of the b-word which most upset Adelaide residents who quickly sprang to the defence of their city, which is often the subject of jibes from eastern states types about its apparent lack of liveliness.

An aerial view of Adelaide.

Premier Steven Marshall described her remarks as “completely outrageous” and demanded that she apologise, which she did.

“Yesterday I made an off-handed comment about Adelaide on The World Game LIVE,” Zelic wrote on Twitter this afternoon.

“I recognise these comments weren’t okay and I’m truly sorry for what I said.”

It is not the first the world game has served as a vehicle for Adelaide bashing, with even a former coach of the city’s football team Adelaide United, ex-Socceroo Aurelio Vidmar, labelling Adelaide a “pissant town” and saying the club would “never win anything” after a 4-0 defeat to Melbourne Victory in 2009.

Three years ago, when the club did win the FFA Grand Final, the job fell to former Labor Senator Sam Dastyari who unloaded on the city from the floor of parliament after the Reds beat his beloved Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1.

The jibe came during an exchange with former South Australian Liberal, Australian Conservatives Senator Cory Bernardi.

“It must have been a tough week for Senator Bernardi in Adelaide,” Sen Dastyari said. “His city was overrun by a bunch of halal-eating, drum-beating, Sydney loving football fans.”

When Bernardi interjected to say: “We beat you”, Dastyari replied: “You may have won the A-League final, but we get to go back to Sydney and you have to stay in Adelaide.”

An apologetic Dastyari later visited Adelaide and bought what he called a “humble pie” from the city’s famous 24 hour bakery in North Adelaide, renowned for its pie floaters, which he consumed on an Adelaide radio station to make amends for the slur.