AFL says racist abuse a sorry part of football’s past

St Kilda and the AFL have issued an unreserved apology to Robert Muir for the sustained racist abuse he received throughout the 1970s and 80s.

Former St Kilda player Robert Muir has been issued with an apology from the AFL and St Kilda for the racist abuse he received during a tumultuous career

In a round celebrating the Indigenous contribution to Australian football, the AFL has issued an apology to former Saints player Robert Muir for the racism he endured during his career.

Now 66, Muir has detailed the depth of his despair over the treatment he received on and off the field during a tumultuous career at St Kilda in the 1970s and 1980s.

He told the ABC that fans in the crowd had spat at him, he was abused by rival players and even urinated on by teammates.

Muir, who is living in Adelaide and dealing with the psychological pain of a period where racist abuse was seen by some as a “tactic”, said he feels shunned by his former club and code. The league, which branded the treatment of Muir as disgraceful, admitted other players in the past had also been subjected to racist attacks.

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It comes three years after dual-Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes was issued an extraordinary apology by the league for its failure to promptly address the abuse he received.

“Unfortunately there are too many stories like this in our code and country’s history,” an AFL statement said.

“We would like Robert to know we acknowledge his story, and along with the St Kilda Football Club, will be making contact to understand further how we can respond, in accordance with Robert’s wishes.

“We will be there to assist with a process of recovery and reconciliation and we also understand that there will be similar stories from our game’s past that we need to address.”

Lured from Ballarat, Muir had already been suspended for two years under dubious circumstances by the BFL when he arrived in Melbourne.

He was a brilliant footballer and played 68 games in seven seasons with the Saints, but his temper also led to suspensions totalling 22 VFL games. The most notorious outing occurred against Carlton in 1984 at Princes Park.

Muir received a 12-match ban for several infractions in an angry outburst widely accepted at the time as being driven by the racism he faced in that match.

He later jumped the fence to deal with a fan who had abused him from one end to the other throughout a match while playing for Woodville in the SANFL.

Muir requires surgery on his shoulder for an old football injury but, after receiving an initial grant from the AFL Players Association’s hardship fund for a financial matter, he has been rebuffed by the union.

A fundraising page, which was set up on Sunday following the publication of a feature article on Muir, had raised more than $50,000 within hours.

It prompted the AFL and St Kilda to acknowledge they should have done more to help Muir.

St Kilda chief executive Matt Finnis, who formerly headed the AFLPA, said the depths of Muir’s struggles was disturbing.

“Reading about the impact of racism on Robert Muir’s life in today’s ABC article will no doubt be confronting for everybody involved in football, as it was for me personally,” he said.

“We admire Robert’s courage to speak out about the racism he has endured and (the) lack of support provided by our club when he needed it most.

“We apologise unreservedly to Robert and his family and are humbled that he continues to love our club.”