by Sasha Uzunov
After a two month wait, Australia’s Governor General, Ms Sam Mostyn ,the country’s de facto Head of State who represents the monarch, has issued a statement that she will not be commenting on the Australian Football League’s contradictory anti colonial policy which condemns Australian Day over British colonialism but promotes US nationalism – which has colonial issues with native Americans and African Americans – through the game of Australian Rules Football in Australia.
Ms Mostyn is a former Commissioner with the AFL, the governing body of Australian Rules Football and a former President of the Sydney Swans Football Club which competes in the AFL
“This Office will not be responding,” said Mr Rob Ayling, official spokesman for the Governor General.
A set of questions was sent to the Australian Governor General Ms Sam Mostyn’s Office in early November 2024:
1. The AFL has become a propaganda platform for the US govt to promote its foreign policy agenda in Australia . [US government since the 1950s has been an opponent of indigenous Australians]. I am aware that the AFL publicly supports Indigenous Australians, but it also paradoxically promotes US nationalism. Should the AFL drop its support for US nationalism?
2. Is it appropriate for the AFL to be seen giving publicity to US politicians and diplomats with jumper presentations? US has “colonial issues” with native indigenous Americans.
3. Do you wish to comment about the US NFL and the criticism from native indigenous Americans? i.e. Kansas City Chiefs name, Buffalo Bills name etc. NFL accused of racism & so on.
4. Should the AFL be glorifying the US NFL as a role model in light of the strong criticism of the NFL from indigenous Americans?
5. Do you support calls for “re-Australianising” the AFL, that is removing US sports terms such as turnover, road game, thrown a curve ball etc. from the AFL because these terms promote American cultural nationalism?
6. The AFL and AFL clubs each year issue a statement condemning Australia Day and have placed a political ban on Australia’s Head of State, the British monarch (which you represent in Australia), because of “colonialism” but the AFL venerates US President Joe Biden, despite the US having long standing colonial issues with native Americans and racial tensions with African Americans. The first US President George Washington kept African slaves and killed native Americans, dispossessing them of their tribal lands. To be consistent on “colonialism”, shouldn’t the AFL also ban Americaness ? Or if the AFL does allows Americaness, should it remove its political ban on Britishness?
7. Your club Sydney Swans (South Melbourne) was founded by British people in Victoria in 1874 but the Swans deliberately ignored its British heritage during the club’s 150th birthday in 2024 on the undeclared pretext of being “anti colonial” but the club supports the AFL’s promotion of US nationalism, which has obvious colonial issues with native Americans. Isn’t that contradictory and hypocritical?