As a leaked report blasts racism at Collingwood, Eddie McGuire responds to rumours he is set to take on the role of AFL CEO
When Eddie McGuire announced his resignation as President of Collingwood at the end of 2021, attention immediately turned to his next role.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s premiere episode of The Anj, Rob & Robbo Show in an interview which has already been recorded, McGuire is asked about rumours current CEO Gillon McLachlan is planning to retire at the end of the year.
“If he is thinking, or if people are talking about it, I’ll be the opposite, I’ll be talking him out of it trying to keep him in the chair as long as we possibly can, because he does a fantastic job.”
When pressed, McGuire made it clear the role of CEO is not something he’s thinking about:
“I don’t covet the CEO’s role and I hope that Gill stays on. Word on the street’s one thing but we’re going through tough times with this covid in all sports and to have someone of Gill’s tremendous acumen, being the caretaker for our sport has been wonderful in the last 12 months. We need him in the next 12 months and I think we need him for a few more 12 months after that.”
McGuire is today facing calls to leave Collingwood immediately after a damning report on racism was leaked to The Herald Sun, accusing the AFL club of ‘systemic racism’.
The report was tabled to the board just days after McGuire announced his resignation.
In the interview, which was recorded before the report was made public, McGuire said he wants to focus on his media career, which includes hosting Millionaire Hot Seat every afternoon on Nine.
The network has also brought back the original Who Wants To Be A Millionaire format for a series of celebrity specials, which continue tonight and tomorrow.
McGuire is still a fan of the format and says he would like to see the show return to prime time more regularly.
You can watch the entire interview with Eddie McGuire tonight on The Anj, Rob & Robbo Show by clicking here.
- 9.00pm – NSW/ACT/VIC/TAS
- 8.30pm – SA
- 8.00pm – QLD
- 7.30pm – NT
- 6.00pm – WA
