Welcome to Australia in 2019 – where passionate footy fans have been slammed by the AFL because they dared to chant 'the umpire's a w***er'
- Carlton cheer squad in hot water with the AFL over 'umpire's a w***er' chant
- Club sent 'please explain' notice by AFL after recent loss against Collingwood
- AFL says cheer squad also played instruments during game, which isn't allowed
- Chant by fans towards despised sporting figures dates back to the early 1980s
The AFL has issued a 'please explain' notice to Carlton because their fans put up a chant that has been an Australian sporting tradition for decades.
The Blues cheer squad is in hot water with the governing body because fans chanted 'The umpire's a w***er...' during the club's round-eight clash against arch rivals Collingwood at the MCG on May 11.
The Blues army behind the goals were unable to contain their fury after umpires made a series of contentious decisions against their club in the final quarter of the match, which saw Collingwood storm home for a narrow win.
The Carlton Blues cheer squad is in hot water with the AFL over their behavior at a recent game
An AFL spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that a notice was issued to the Carlton club last week.
He also confirmed the league is investigating the cheer squad's use of a drum during the game as instruments during play aren't allowed.
'They were asked to stop by a match-day official and they didn't,' the spokesman said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Carlton club for comment.
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The umpires copped abuse from Carlton fans over a spate of contentious calls during the Blues' recent loss against Collingwood (pictured) at the MCG on May 11
Fans and former players have weighed into the debate.
'The AFL surely have more important issues than this,' Port Adelaide AFL legend Kane Cornes tweeted on Tuesday night.
One fan replied: 'The Carlton cheer squad were acting on behalf of every AFL fan and player in voicing extreme disappointment and confusion with the lack of standards and accountability from the umpiring department this season. '
The AFL has been cracking down harder on umpire abuse in recent weeks.
Sydney Swans defender Dean Rampe was fined $10,000 ($5000 suspended) for telling an umpire, 'You sound like a little girl,' in the dying seconds of their round-eight clash against Essendon at the SCG.
The w***er taunt at despised sporting figures has been an Australian tradition since the 1980s
Carlton veteran Dale Thomas was fined $7500 but escaped suspension for calling a boundary umpire a 'f***ing cheat' during their dismal loss against the GWS Giants in Sydney on Sunday.
The league is also cracking down on crowd behaviour following a recent spate of brawls between fans at matches.
The 'w***er' chant by Australian fans towards despised sporting figures dates back to the early 1980s.
New Zealand cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee was the first to cop and overreact to the taunt.
The Kiwi all-rounder admitted it took a few years of getting used to, along with some words of advice from an Australian arch rival.
Carlton were on their way to their second win of the season against Collingwood on May 11 before a series of controversial calls against them saw the Magpies storm home
'(Former Australian Test captain) Greg (Chappell) said forget about the distractions and do your talking with the ball, and at the end of the day I took more Test wickets against Australia than any other nation,' Sir Hadlee told Fox Sports' The Back Page in 2015.
'I think it worked out pretty well. Greg said the only thing I had to remember was that if they had a go at you they rated you and at the end of the day, it was a compliment.'
When he was knighted in 1990, Hadlee received a letter from Australian cricket legend the late Sir Don Bradman welcoming him to the knights club, along with a cartoon showing an Aussie fan shouting over a boundary fence: 'Hadlee's a w***er.'
Hadlee's reply: 'It's Sir W***er to you.'
Australian fans still remembered their nickname for Sir Hadlee years later with a banner spotted being held by Socceroos fans in the Fanatics' active support area during the 2006 World Cup.
2019 has been a season to forget for Carlton and their fans, with just one win from nine games
Queensland rugby league legend Wally Lewis also frequently copped the 'w***er' taunt from NSW fans during State of Origin games in the 1980s.
'You know you've done something when you have over 42,000 people at the SCG all chanting "Wally's a w***er!" in unison,' Lewis told Wide World of Sports in 2013.
'I was hit in the head by a beer can down there once, needed three stitches; I certainly didn't have many fans in NSW.'
The most recent athlete to cop the chant was retired North Queensland Cowboys star Johnathan Thurston, who used to wear the tag from opposition supporters as a badge of honour.
'Thurston's a w***er - that's a good memory to take away,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald after fans launched the chant in 2013.
'I kind of think I'm a good guy so it hurts a little bit ... no it doesn't - it's all part of the atmosphere. I quite enjoy it.'
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