AFL boss Andrew Dillon uses six words to hit back at fans who have slammed the Welcome to Country after footy’s most controversial ceremony ever

AFL boss Andrew Dillon insists holding the Welcome to Country event is vital as it “sets the tone for the game” – despite widespread fan anger over world football’s most controversial ceremony.

His comments Thursday followed a wave of criticism after pastor Brendan Kerin sparked a firestorm earlier this month when he declared that the ceremonies were “not invented to meet the needs of white people.”

Kerin also falsely claimed that the indigenous people were already performing these rituals 250,000 years before Christ. According to him, it stands for ‘Before Cook’.

His performance of Welcome to Country came just before the GWS v Brisbane Lions final on September 14 in Sydney and was widely panned by football fans.

Even former star Indigenous footballer Mathew Stokes believes the Welcome to Country ceremonies are too divisive and continue to be hijacked by “people with their own agendas”.

Dillon said the organisation has no plans to scrap the ceremonies and confirmed that Uncle Colin Hunter, who also performed at the Brownlow Medal on Monday, will take on the role on Saturday, just before the grand final begins.

“We will continue to do it, the Welcome to Country is for everyone,” Dillon said Radio 3AW.

“We are an inclusive sport and we believe this sets the tone for the game.

Geelong’s Indigenous premiership winner Mathew Stokes (pictured) has spoken out against the use of Welcome to Country to push political agendas

Stokes’ comments came hot on the heels of Brendan Kerin’s highly controversial welcome message ahead of the elimination final between GWS and Brisbane (pictured)

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon confirmed that uncle Colin Hunter – who also performed at the Brownlow Medal earlier this week – will perform the Welcome Performance at Saturday’s Grand Final

‘[We hold the collective view] “It benefits the game, so we will continue to do that.”

3AW’s Elliott responded by pointing out that many Australian sports fans “don’t want to be lectured about their own country”, before asking why supporters of Greek and Italian descent aren’t recognised in the same way.

Following Uncle Brendan Kerin’s performance, politician Pauline Hanson and football legend Tony Shaw were quick to express their displeasure.

Hanson called the rituals “one of the most racially divisive features of modern Australian discourse” and later called on football fans to turn their backs on them before matches.

Shaw, who led Collingwood to the flag in 1990, called the AFL “weak” and “politically correct” for not publicly criticising Kerin for her views on the ceremony.

Channel Nine football commentator Tony Jones also weighed in on the controversy. He said the AFL should vet the partygoers’ statements before they give their welcome speeches, to prevent future scandals.

“Whether you agree with Welcome to Country or not, I think football fans should show a fair amount of respect. But there is a problem. There is a problem and the AFL needs to address it,” he said.

‘This is a celebration during the Welcome to the Country… there was laughter and I’ll tell you why: because these Welcome Hits… should not be personal agendas.

‘They shouldn’t be there for political statements per se and I’m not sure if the AFL checks the scripts, maybe they do now because those comments [from Kerin] was not well received by some people.’