‘This is unacceptable’: Aussie fans condemned as racist cricket chant exposed

Australian fans have been slammed after a racist chant from the past re-emerged during the recent Test series against India.

The MCG have condemned an ugly chant which marred one of the best Test series’ in recent memory between Australia and India.

In a hard fought five-match series won 3-1 by the Aussies, there were several times where the action on the field got too heated, needing umpires to step in and fines to be issued.

This included the heated clash between Travis Head and Mohammad Siraj in Adelaide, Virat Kohli’s bump on Sam Konstas on Boxing Day, and the heated clash late on day one of the SCG Test.

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While the heated scenes dominated the headlines, it appeared the players left most of the animosity on the field, with Konstas even revealing the chat he had with Kohli after their clash, which ended with the Indian legend wishing the teenager all the best.

However, fans can often miss the memo and in Melbourne, video emerged of the bumper MCG crowd taking it too far.

In a Test match that will go down as one of the greats between the nations, Australia triumphed by 184 runs in a match that went down to the final hour of the final day in front of the biggest crowd for a Test match in Australian history.

Although most of the crowd was well behaved, Indian fans and media called out fans in Melbourne who began chanting “Where’s your visa?” directed at fans waving Indian flags on the final day of the fourth Test.

The act was condemned in the Indian media with the NDTV calling it “pure racism”, the India Times quoted a fan who said it was the “Real face of Australian fans” and it was also highlighted in the likes of the Hindustan Times and The Free Press Journal.

Earlier this week, Cricket Australia responded to digital news publication Draw Your Box,

“Cricket Australia encourages all those attending our matches to show respect and courtesy to fellow attendees to ensure everyone has a great experience,” Cricket Australia spokesperson said.

“We encourage anyone who experiences inappropriate behaviour to alert security using the anti-social behaviour hotline.”

The ABC also reported the video was filmed at the infamous Bay 13 with loud chants shared between the rival supporters throughout the day.

The report quotes Indian fans who said the chant was “not appropriate” and could have made some fans feel unwelcome.

Bay 13 was having a good time with Sam Konstas. Picture: Michael Klein

Victoria Police said it had attended the area but that no formal complaints were made as the taunts were traded between the supporter groups.

“On Day 5 (December 30), officers were deployed to specific aisles in response to two opposing supporter groups who were taunting and waving flags at each other,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

Police said they were “overwhelmingly pleased” with the record crowd’s behaviour.

The Melbourne Cricket Club, which runs the MCG, also revealed it hadn’t received any complaints over the chant either but encouraged fans to show respect to opposition fan groups.

“It is extremely disappointing to see incidents of this nature took place in what was otherwise well-behaved record crowds across five days,” an MCG spokesperson said.

“The MCG takes any form of racial vilification very seriously — we work very hard to create a safe and inclusive environment for all fans.”

It’s not the first time the chant has caused issues with 11 fans ejected from the MCG in 2018 after the chants which included “show us your visa” erupted.

Other spectators claimed it had been a gradual progression which ended with the “visa” chant.

While there were fears there would be similar issues in Sydney, it appears the chant didn’t travel to the SCG.

But one of Australia’s biggest Indian cricket fan groups has lashed out at offensive shirts worn by some Aussie supporters at the SCG.

A group of male supporters at the Test wore blonde wigs and white T-shirts with phrases such as “7/11” and “Rexona” written on them.

Indian fans took offence to the Aussie fans. Picture: Supplied

This is so unnecessary. Picture: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reported Gurnam Singh, the founder of the Australian-Indian Sports Educational and Cultural Society and the “Swami Army” fan group, claimed the references were racist stereotypes about Indian-Australians working in convenience stores, while the “Rexona” reference was another stereotype about hygiene.

“Sport is one of the things that’s supposed to be bringing us together, and these actions only divide us,” Mr Singh told The Daily Telegraph.

As for the MCG comments, Singh said: “Such remarks are not just offensive; they undermine the inclusive spirit of cricket. If I didn’t have a visa, I wouldn’t even be in the stadium — this kind of rhetoric is baseless and unacceptable.

“We understand there is banter, but this is unacceptable – there is no room for it.”

Thankfully, it appears the instances were kept to a minimum with the five-Test series having 837,879 people attend matches across the summer, making it the fourth highest — and highest non-Ashes series — attendance for any Test series in Australia.

The MCG was particularly something to behold with 373,691 fans passing through the turnstiles to beat the previous record set in at the 1937 MCG Test between Australia and England when 350,534 watched turned out to see Sir Donald Bradman score 270 in one of the great innings of his legendary career. It was also a six-day Test that extended onto the sixth day.

Originally published as ‘This is unacceptable’: Aussie fans condemned as racist cricket chant exposed