Héritier Lumumba: Ex-player sues AFL and club over alleged racism

Héritier Lumumba says he endured a culture of racist abuse while playing for Collingwood

Former Australian Rules footballer Héritier Lumumba is suing his former club and league over racism he says he endured in his playing career.

Mr Lumumba, 33, played in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 2005-2015, mostly for club Collingwood.

He later spoke out about his experience of racism at Collingwood, which he said included being given a nickname that is a racial slur for black people.

Collingwood and the AFL are yet to respond to the lawsuit.

The club has been conducting an internal investigation into the allegations since June. The AFL has previously said it is working to stamp out racism in the sport.

In recent years, several players have spoken about racism in Australia's richest and best-attended professional league.

Recent documentaries on Aboriginal player Adam Goodes - a two-time AFL best-and-fairest winner who retired after persistent abuse - have prompted calls for the sport to improve.

Mr Lumumba, who has Brazilian and Congolese-Angolan heritage, first voiced his experiences in 2017. He said he had faced a "culture of racist jokes and ideas" at the club.

His allegations have been supported by other teammates, but rejected by senior Collingwood officials and coaches.

Mr Lumumba said he had been ostracised by coaches and teammates after criticising club president Eddie McGuire for making racist remarks about Mr Goodes. Mr McGuire later apologised for his comments.

Mr Lumumba was the AFL's first multicultural ambassador from 2006-2013, and said his experience improved after joining Melbourne Football Club in 2014.

Legal action

In documents filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Mr Lumumba alleged the league and his former club had failed in their duty of care to provide players with a safe environment.

Héritier Lumumba said his experience improved when he joined Melbourne Football Club

"On numerous occasions during his employment, the plaintiff was subjected to racial abuse or racially-offensive conduct," the submission said.

Mr Lumumba alleged the organisations had failed to protect him from abuse and took no action to stop or penalise players.

As a result, he had suffered "trauma, humiliation, distress, and loss of enjoyment" among other things, he said.

Mr Lumumba has declined to engage in Collingwood's internal investigation, saying the club should not be investigated by its own officials.

He had previously recounted experiences to club and league management.

In June, Mr McGuire said the investigation would be done "forensically but we're not looking to prosecute".

He added: "We want to find what's gone on. I've spoken to some people and I've found different things, the nuances that I had no idea [about]."