After a female player said she was called “a black animal” during a game, hosts of The Project attacked the pervasive racism in Australian sport.
Aish Ravi, a Victorian Amateur Football Association player for MCC Womens, criticised the league for its actions in the wake of the alleged racist abuse.
On Thursday night’s show, co-host Peter Heliar urged participants and organisers to reject racism at all levels.
In Australia, racism “is occurring at all levels of all sports,” according to the comic.
To set an example, “the code’s leaders ought to step up at the highest level and oppose bigotry.”
Ms. Ravi said that she promptly informed the umpire of the unpleasant experience and reported it to the VAFA.
She asserts that not much has changed since then and that “no penalty was placed on the culprit.”
The player, Ms. Ravi said, called me a “black beast.”
I was so frightened and horrified by their remarks that I really felt nauseous.
When she heard the verbal assault, Ms. Ravi protested that it passed the boundary between sledging and racism and that play hadn’t been halted.
She is urging that in these situations, play be halted and players be dismissed, just as they would be if someone “kicked an opponent.”
Jason Reddick, CEO of AFA, replied to the event on the episode by claiming that Ms. Ravi raised the matter outside of the “formal procedure,” which “was really not fair to all parties involved.”
Additionally, he said that her behaviour demonstrated “a lack of respect.”
I’ve done nothing wrong, so I shouldn’t have to feel like the issue, Ms. Ravi said.
She emphasised that she had the backing of her teammates and that last Saturday’s grand final match saw her side triumph against the club of the accused abuser.