The Lord Mayor of Perth Basil Zempilas has come under fire on Twitter for suggesting the crowd applaud for a minute at the 20:21 mark of the first quarter in support of those living in lockdown around the country.
UPDATE: It appears the crowd did not heed Zempilas instruction – with no applause detected on the Channel Seven coverage of the grand final.
But the former Channel Seven commentator’s idea was met with a mostly negative reception on the social network, with users complaining about the tone-deaf nature of the gesture.
Some pointed out that people at a sports event applauding those in lockdown just rubbed further salt in the wound.
Others said the notion of solidarity was absurd in the face of Western Australia’s notoriously strict border stance.
Some defended Zempilas and criticised what they called unnecessary negativity.
Others just took the opportunity to take the mickey.
The AFL grand final takes place tonight in Perth. It’s the first time the grand final has been played in Western Australia and is the second straight season COVID outbreaks have forced Melbourne to surrender the decider to an interstate city.
Zempilas was elected Lord Mayor of Perth in October 2020, which saw him step down from his role as football commentator with Seven – which he’d held since 2012.
Optus Stadium is in the suburb of Burswood, which sits outside Zempilas’ jurisdiction in the council area of Victoria Park.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yeah, some short memories here hah? I remember some loudmouth fathead from Victoria not happy when he thought he (and his sons!) were supposedly automatically going to be aloud in WA to watch the GF! :laughing:
IDeals22
Roar Rookie
Meh - move on. Yes he's a tool but he's no different to many other irrelavent media lackies hoping to become something bigger than they are. There's plenty on both sides of the country.
.kraM
Roar Rookie
Swing and a miss
Lukey Miller
Guest
Baz is OK, At least he has a crack. Perth City Council was struggling badly, so Baz pulls on the Lord Mayor job (and he is doing OK). He might be a Dockers supporter, but....
PeteB
Roar Rookie
Lots of people out there just love to get angry over nothing. Move on !
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
He’s a bit of a drongo, but the negative reactions strike me as outrage for outrage’s sake.
Blitz
Guest
How about giving a bronx cheer to Dan Andrews and all of the politicians and bureaucrats that have been earning massive salaries for destroying the lives of millions?
Reg Grundy
Guest
Get stuffed Baz! His best mate would be Tom Browne, both complete tools! People just want to honestly watch the footy. How is this going to magically help Melbourne with COVID? At least I avoided him on that long extended pre game nonsense beforehand by watching NRL preliminary final.
Lukey Miller
Guest
Good on Baz for thinking outside the box. New Ideas are something that has been lacking in AFL in recent times. A good example of this is when the AFL extended the deal to have the Grand Final played at the MCG every year until about 2060 - without consulting any teams etc. They could have thrown it out there in case someone had some alternative ideas - like to play every 4th Grand Final outside of Melbourne. Covid has intervened and the last 2 Grand Finals have had to be played outside of the dark city. What a great way to market and spread the game. No, the AFL just want the status quo to remain and the perception that really a Victorian competition with a few interstate teams allowed compete in a lopsided competition. So more consultation from the AFL and being open to new ideas would be great from now on.
Simoc
Guest
This guy is a tool. Its all about him. He seeks adulation constantly. He has a support base from his native country who swoon over him. Really embarrassing to see.