KEY POINTS
- Thirty years ago, St Kilda player Nicky Winmar took a powerful stand against racism.
- It came after Collingwood fans directed racist abuse at him and his teammate, Gilbert McAdam.
- Now, the Collingwood Football Club has formally apologised to Winmar and McAdam.
Thirty years after Nicky Winmar's famous stand against racism, the Collingwood Football Club has formally apologised to the St Kilda champion and his teammate Gilbert McAdam for the abuse directed at them.
Winmar revealed this week he was still hurt by the events that occurred at Victoria Park in April 1993, when he and McAdam were subjected to a torrent of racist abuse by Magpies fans.
It led to the Noongar man's, when he lifted his jumper and pointed to the colour of his skin to declare, "I'm proud to be black".
A week after Winmar's act of pride, Collingwood's then-president Allan McAllister made comments that the club this week condemned as "appalling".
"As long as they conduct themselves like white people, well, off the field, everyone will admire and respect … as long as they conduct themselves like human beings, they will be alright," McAllister said at the time.
The Collingwood Football Club has apologised to former St Kilda players Nicky Winmar (left) and Gilbert McAdam over racist abuse. Source: AAP / Hamish Blair
"The Collingwood Football Club understands that racism is harmful and has no place in our game and apologises to Nicky Winmar and to Gilbert McAdam for the hurt they experienced playing football," Collingwood said in a statement released on Sunday.
"It takes courage to stand against racism and when First Nations people do so, it is our opportunity – all Australians – to listen, learn and change for the better.
"Collingwood also apologises for the appalling comments made by its most senior official in the days following that game.
"To go back and reflect on where we got things wrong is important to us and we will continue to listen and learn as we progress our club."
The Victoria Park episode and McAllister's comments were documented in , released in 2021.
"To be clear, we at Collingwood remain on a journey – we believe that real and lasting cultural change takes time, dedication and persistence," the club said in its statement.
"We also believe there is no finishing line when it comes to eliminating racism.
"Collingwood is incredibly fortunate to have many proud First Nations people who make up our club across all levels – as players, coaches, staff and on our board.
"We thank our First Nations brothers and sisters who continue to share their culture and experiences to make our club better."
The , when the Western Bulldogs young gun responded to racist abuse during and after a game against St Kilda with a five-goal haul against Brisbane.
Like Winmar, Ugle-Hagan lifted his jumper and pointed to his skin in a powerful statement.
However, it hasn't stopped racist abuse being directed at Indigenous footballers.
Fremantle duo Michael Walters and Nathan Wilson, Brisbane star Charlie Cameron and Adelaide forward Izak Rankine have all been targeted in recent weeks.
