Footy greats say fans can’t be prevented from booing the opposition

Several footy greats have backed the right of footy fans to boo, with former Collingwood captain Tony Shaw saying jeering the opposition star is a “boring” but longstanding tradition.

Footy greats and passionate fans say they should be free to boo at AFL matches.

Collingwood this week apologised to Sydney star Lance Franklin for its fans booing him at the weekend and the AFL and the Swans issued public statements condemning the behaviour.

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell on Tuesday echoed the calls, urging Hawks supporters not to boo rival players.

“People love sport, people go to the game, they’re passionate and they love it … there’s a passion that you don’t want totake away from supporters. But then I don’t understand why you would boo Buddy Franklin, he’s been a champion of the game,” Mitchell said.

“So for the Hawthorn fans out there, I’d prefer that we didn’t boo please.”

But Magpies supporters said they have every right to boo opposing players, and will do so again this weekend.

It comes as Hawthorn legend and former Pies player Dermott Brereton said provided there were no racist motivations, booingshould be fair game as part of “the theatre” of the sport.

“I like heroes and I like villains and Lance is getting booed because he is so bloody good,’’ he said.

Lance Franklin fends off Nick Daicos. Picture: Michael Klein

“They used to boo Wayne Carey, they booed Nathan Buckley, it’s not something that I would say ‘Go out and do’ – I can’t workout what you get out of it. But if someone wants to spend a few hundred dollars a year on membership and they want to expressthemself by booing the opposition’s best player simply because he is very, very good, that is just part of the theatre,” Breretonsaid.

Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw said: “Champions have been booed for a long time. You’re never going to stop it,and in fact the more you talk about it the more they will try and double it,’’ he said. “I find it boring, but that’s theright of every person that goes to the footy, to boo someone.”

North Melbourne great Carey took to social media to suggest people were “overreacting’’ to Franklin being booed, suggesting “everyone calm down’’.

Collingwood’s first Indigenous player, Wally Lovett, said the booing of Franklin “went a bit too far’’. He hoped it was dueto Franklin targeting Pies’ young gun Nick Daicos.

“I don’t know why they ­singled him out to receive the boos, I’m hoping it wasn’t ­racist,’’ he said.

Collingwood fans took aim at Franklin on Sunday. Picture: Getty

“When you’ve got a champion on your team he’s celebrated, but when he is on the other team he is the enemy. I just can’t getmy head around exactly why it was done – whether it was just sheep following each other but it did get a little bit beyond control.’’

Swans coach John Longmire said yesterday Franklin just wants to focus on his game, and will leave it up to crowds to “self-monitor”.

“He’s good, he’s fine … he just wants to focus on his footy, it’s very simple,” Longmire said on Tuesday.

“He didn’t hear it during the game, he just wants to get onto the footy side of things, that’s what he’s focused on.”

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said on Monday: “We don’t accept excessive booing as part of our game’’.

The league was criticised for its slow response to indigenous AFL great Adam Goodes being constantly booed before retiringfrom the game in 2015.

Mr Lovett said it would be “impossible” to stop Pies fans booing. But he hoped the jeering of Franklin would stop, to avoida repeat of the treatment Goodes received.

Collingwood player Mason Cox urged fans to “be better”. “You can be passionate about the game – I’m all for that,’’ he said on KIIS FM. “But I think the situation over the weekend is something I can’t say I would ever support.”

Former Pies president Eddie McGuire, in his podcast with Jimmy Bartel, said: “If you’re a Collingwood supporter in this situation,all it does is bring a lot of pain and suffering to your club.’’

Pies fans say they won’t kick the boos

Diehard Collingwood fans have declared they will not be silenced at the footy and have vowed to jeer opponents again this weekend.

Passionate Pies fan Voula Bitsikas – a member for more than 40 years – was disappointed her club apologised to Franklin and was certain the black and white army would not be quietened.

“How dare Collingwood have to apologise, please,” she said. “They’ve gone soft.

“People pay their membership to go to the football, to do whatever they want to do.

“If they want to boo someone, yell at someone, chant at someone – you can’t silence people.

“You cannot control us.”

Collingwood supporter Voula Bitsikas will not be silenced at the footy. Picture: David Caird

Ms Bitsikas said it was “crazy’’ Collingwood fans were copping criticism when Sydney fans booed Collingwood livewire Jack Ginnivan as he sat on the bench in the Harbour City last year.

She denied taunts from Pies fans towards Franklin were racist and said it was unthinkable to suggest supporters should be told to curb their enthusiasm.

“Get the boo out of the game – why,” she said. “Then what are we there for?

“Why don’t you just play it among yourselves and we will watch it at home.”

And she declared that Pies fans would double down with boos this weekend.

“Next week we are playing GWS and we will be booing Toby Greene,” she said.

“It’s part of the game and so are a lot of things … if you boo who are you hurting?”

But Collingwood cheer squad member Jacqui Garcia backed her club for standing up to the issue so promptly.

“I personally don’t like the booing of players and stand with the club on this one,” she said. “I didn’t hear it in our cheer squad but heard it in bays further over.

“I think our cheer squad was more concerned with the treatment of young Nick Daicos, following inflammatory remarks made in the media earlier by the Swans coach, rather than anything Buddy was or wasn’t doing.”

Originally published as Footy greats say fans can’t be prevented from booing the opposition