Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has faced criticism from his Hawthorn counterpart, Jeff Kennett, after being spotted at the Pink Flamingo nightclub on the Gold Coast on Saturday. McGuire, who was with his son, said the outing was official business as part of his role on the board of Visit Victoria.
“As you are well aware, I do a few different things in my life, including being on the board of Visit Victoria, and … speak extensively to people in the restaurant and hospitality industry about how we get Victoria going again,” McGuire told Triple M on Monday. He described the visit as a reconnaissance mission to understand how similar venues could reopen safely during the pandemic.
Kennett said McGuire’s “jiving at the Pink Flamingo” was “a hell of a contradiction” given AFL players and officials remain in lockdown hubs. “It looks silly,” Kennett said. However, McGuire is not part of the Collingwood hub or the AFL hub on the Gold Coast, and the league confirmed no biosecurity rules were broken.
McGuire has been vocal in calling for tough sanctions for players breaching Covid-19 protocols, criticising Richmond pair Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones for leaving their hub. He was also forced to defend a lenient penalty for Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom in July.
