Sawt Falasteen - Australian Rules player body urges 'united approach' after homophobic slur

Australian Rules is the country's most popular spectator sport but it has long been marred by controversies.

In the latest, Adelaide player Izak Rankine was slapped with a four-match ban on Thursday for a homophobic slur against an opponent last weekend.

He is the sixth player banned for similar incidents in the past 16 months, and the AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) said a more rounded approach was needed from the AFL, the sport's governing body.

"This incident again highlights the need for a more effective and united approach," AFLPA interim chief executive Ben Smith said.

"While there is strong alignment across the industry in rejecting homophobia, the AFL's focus on sanctioning players in the absence of a holistic strategy is not delivering the cultural change we need."

He urged more "meaningful engagement" with those impacted by homophobia and better education for players.

Smith also took aim at how the story was handled by some media which focused more on the sanction being less than expected and not the underlying causes.

The AFL cited "compelling medical grounds" for suspending Rankine for four games instead of five, reportedly due to his history of mental health and concussion issues.

Smith noted that public debate around homophobia in sport "has a significant impact on many people, including those directly involved and members of the LGBTQI+ community with lived experience".

"That impact is compounded when a highly public debate occurs which is singularly focused on the level of the sanction at the expense of meaningfully understanding of what occurred, why it occurred and what can be done to not only prevent the reoccurrence of any homophobic conduct, but to create a genuinely inclusive environment."

AFL general counsel Stephen Meade has acknowledged that more work needs to be done to tackle the problem, without spelling out what was planned.

Adelaide boss Tim Silvers told local radio on Friday that Rankine, who has apologised, was "doing it tough".

"He's embarrassed, he's remorseful, he's regretful, he hasn't actually been back to the club since it happened," he said.

I.Matar--SF-PST