Port Adelaide is investigating allegations Adelaide forward Eddie Betts and Power ruckman Paddy Ryder were racially abused by spectators in last Saturday night’s Showdown.
The Power released a statement on Monday night outlining the club was aware of media reports claiming Betts and Ryder were the subject of racial taunts from supporters from each club at Adelaide Oval.
“The club takes the allegations very seriously and is investigating the claims with Adelaide Oval Stadium Management,” the statement read.
“If a club member has been found to breach Port Adelaide’s spectator code of conduct the offender’s membership can be revoked indefinitely.”
Betts was the target of racial abuse on social media over the weekend when a Power supporter, who is not a club member, likened him to an “ape” on Facebook and wrote he should “go back to the zoo where him and his family belong”.
A Power supporter was banned by the club and fined by police last year for throwing a banana at Betts during a Showdown fixture at Adelaide Oval in August.
Crows chief executive Andrew Fagan said his club “strongly” condemned racial vilification.
“In listening to our playing group and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in particular, it is clear how damaging and impactful racism is to them and their families,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Our entire playing group and our club stand together on this, unequivocally”.
Hawthorn and Power premiership player Shaun Burgoyne, speaking in his capacity as AFL Players' Indigenous Advisory Board chair, express his sadness about the allegations of racial abuse.
"This has been happening for far too long and we, as Indigenous footballers, have had enough. We deserve more respect than we are being shown," he said.
"The abuse directed towards players is more than just words and people need to understand the impact that it has on the player, their family, their children and their community.
"While it's heartening that these incidents are being called out, there's a lot of work to do before we can claim to be a truly inclusive game."
The Power said they would not make any further comment until they completed their investigations into the claims Betts and Ryder were abused.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
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