Collingwood Football Club has apologised to Swans star Lance 'Buddy' Franklin after he was booed by fans on Sunday at the MCG.
A small portion of the almost 72,000-person crowd targeted Franklin at the game, an act that was condemned by both Sydney and Collingwood after the final siren.
On Monday, Collingwood coach Craig McRae, chief executive Craig Kelly and captain Darcy Moore issued a statement apologising to Franklin and the Sydney Swans.
"This club does not support booing, particularly champions of the game," the statement read.
The trio acknowledged it was the first time the Magpies and Swans had played against each other at the venue in a decade. They said it provided an "opportunity to respect a champion of the game" to which they "fell short".
"Buddy is a great of Australian football - what he has achieved on the field over a long period of time demands a high level of respect," they said.
'We are tired'
A range of AFL personalities weighed in on the issue over the past days including AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and former Sydney Swans star Michael O'Loughlin.
"All players have the right to be treated respectfully on-field," said McLachlan.
"We want everyone to go to a game and express themselves, the passion for the contest and the voice of the crowd is what sets our competition apart.
"However, we don't accept excessive booing as part of our game."
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said "excessive booing" isn't part of AFL. Source: Getty / Getty Images
Speaking to Newscorp, he said he couldn’t understand why people would boo a “legend of the game”.
“You have the last couple of opportunities to watch a great player in action and I can’t for the life of me get it I don’t know what the reasoning behind it is but it is not on and I am very disappointed,” he said.
O’Loughlin said it’s time for Australia to stand with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and “stamp this out”.
“We can get up and talk and say how disappointing we are but it’s got beyond a joke. We are tired, we are physically and emotionally tired,” he said.
“You hear Eddie Betts talk about it, you hear countless other people talk about it.”
'At worst, its ignorance and bigotry'
Franklin's coach John Longmire was puzzled at what he copped.
"I don't know why they would - why were they booing him?" Sydney coach John Longmire said post-match.
"You'd probably celebrate a 36-year-old, wouldn't you, who's been a champion of the game?
"It's been 10 years since we've played Collingwood here ... it doesn't make sense."
Magpies legend Nathan Buckley sent a message to fans on Monday.
"Your team is the toast of the town, and they're handling themselves on and off the field with class and poise," he told SEN.
"So, let's try and fall into line on the other side of the fence.
"At best, (the booing) was a begrudging acknowledgement of the sustained brilliance Franklin has brought against Collingwood, and at worst, it's ignorance and bigotry."
- With AAP
