Doug PollardFooty IS homophobic - but could soon change
September 3rd 2008 10:22
Eddie McGuire congratulates Paul Medhurst - pic: Collingwood FC
Despite the head-in-the-sand attitude of the AFL, football insiders acknowledge there is a problem with attitudes towards sexual diversity in football.
AFL Media Manager Patrick Keane continues to insist that the AFL pollicy on vilification addresses the issue, but it doesn't even mention it.
The AFL rule in question makes no mention of sexual orientation; instead referring only to ‘conduct which threatens, disparages, vilifies or insults another person on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin’.
The AFL Players Association Dr Pippa Grange disagrees. She says there’s much more that needs to be done on the issue.
She told MCV's Richard Watts "I do think that homophobia is alive and well in AFL football - as in any groups of Australian males, particularly in traditions where the whole part of you being involved in it is the gaining of masculine capital. It is there, but I don’t think it’s implicitly stated, and I don’t think it’s deeply held by the individuals.”
And Collingwood President Eddie McGuire also thinks footy has some work to do.
“I refer it back to the same principles as tackling racial vilification – when we started to tackle racism, I had a lot of people come up to me and say ‘Thank god we’re doing this: I used to shout racial abuse because I thought it was what you were supposed to do, but I didn’t really believe it’. It’s the same classic pack mentality in regards to sexual orientation, and football should be leading the way in that regard,” McGuire says.
Meanwhile the British Football Association, the FA, the equivalent body for soccer in the UK, has been dealing with the issue for more than five years.
The FA has:
• Expanded the role of its national free hotline for reporting racist incidents at matches to include homophobic comments and behaviour.
• Instructed referees that players or officials using homophobic language are in breach of Law 12, which bans offensive, insulting and abusive language on the pitch – and is punished with a red card offence. (A red card means the offending player must immediately leave the pitch and takes no further part in the match.)
• Secured the agreement of all clubs to change the rules at their grounds (2007-2008 season onwards), banning homophobic abuse, chanting and harassment. Offending fans are now ejected from the grounds and sometimes arrested.
• Established Respect, a ‘program of activities to combat unacceptable behaviour in our game at every level, on the pitch and from the sidelines’, in partnership with the Premier League, the Football League, and players, managers (coaches) and officials.
• Formed a close working relationship with the Gay Football Supporters Network, to monitor the effectiveness of the anti-homophobia program.
It's time the AFL took a lead from the FA, instead of doing sweet FA, and sticking its head in the sand.
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