Former Collingwood player Héritier Lumumba has said he takes no pleasure in Eddie McGuire’s resignation, and the club still has a lot work to do to rectify “the train wreck” that was his final two press conferences.
In his first interview since McGuire’s emotional departure from president on Tuesday afternoon, Lumumba told Virginia Trioli it was “not something personal”.
“Systemic racism is something that affects people all around the world, so this isn’t about me or me being a victim and it’s certainly not about me celebrating or being pleased with … people losing their job or having to step down,” he said.
But he said the resignation showed an “important development” in how the country tackled discrimination.
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“There are new precedents that are being set in the way that Australian society deals with racism,” he said.
Lumumba’s allegations of racism at Collingwood helped spark the ‘Do Better’ review, which found the club guilty of systemic racism.
McGuire came under fire for a press conference the day the report was leaked to the media in which he called it a “proud” day for the organisation.
“Collingwood has to rectify the train wreck that was the previous two press conferences,” Lumumba said.
He said McGuire’s resignation after decades at the helm did not mean the rest of the club would change.
“There has been no accountability for the serious harm that the club has caused and there has been really no ownership of that, and until we see that unfortunately we can’t really progress,” Lumumba said.
With McGuire gone, Lumumba is calling on the club to take accountability and act on the report’s recommendations.
“So far what has been communicated since this report was released has been that the club should be commended for being brave and courageous for commissioning the report,” he said.
“What the report states is that the club has to engage in 18 different recommendations, it is all laid out there.”
