An increasingly bitter feud between TV heavyweights and rival AFL club presidents Eddie McGuire and David ‘Kochie’ Koch is showing no signs of letting up.
The media identities’ rivalry appeared to reach a fever pitch this weekend, after years of trading barbs regarding a dispute over their respective AFL clubs’ jumper designs.
After McGuire ridiculed Koch’s physical appearance on Sunday, Koch chose to call out the former Millionaire host’s ‘nasty streak’ on Monday’s FiveAA radio show.
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‘It is uncalled for!’ Sunrise host and Port Adelaide president David ‘Kochie’ Koch (right) had called out ‘nasty’ Eddie McGuire (left) for his ‘big nose’ insult as their AFL feud escalates
McGuire and Koch have not seen see eye-to-eye on a jumper issue for years, as both Port Adelaide and Collingwood have similar guernsey designs.
Koch has been advocating for Port’s Powers to be able to wear its traditional black-and-white striped jumper when it plays its ‘Showdown’ games against the local rival.
Port’s state league team had worn the ‘prison bar’ jumper – thin black and white stripes with a white bar across the chest – for almost all its long history, but was forced to abandon the stripes, the Magpie emblem, and add teal to its colours when entering the AFL in 1997.
‘David Koch is sticking his nose into the AFL territory. It’s a big nose. I hope he doesn’t get it broken’: McGuire and Koch have not seen see eye-to-eye on a jumper issue for years, as both Port Adelaide and Collingwood have similar guernsey designs
On Sunday, Port chose to defiantly don the historic jersey in the locker room and post a photo to social media.
McGuire said on Fox Footy that the move was a ‘direct poke in the eye to Gillon McLachlan and the AFL commission’.
‘They have signed an agreement that they would not manufacture any of those jumpers for merchandise and the crowd… It has moved out of Collingwood and Port Adelaide and moved onto City Hall,’ he said of his threat to take legal action.
McGuire then added: ‘So there you go. David Koch is sticking his nose into the AFL territory. It’s a big nose. I hope he doesn’t get it broken.’
‘He has this enormous sense of self-importance’: After McGuire ridiculed Koch’s physical appearance on Sunday, Koch chose to call out the former Millionaire host’s ‘nasty streak’
McGuire stood down as Collingwood president earlier this year, but is still an outspoken mouthpiece for the club.
Koch said of the ex-Pies president during his radio chat the following day: ‘[Eddie] has this nasty streak when he is under a bit of pressure he comments on people’s physical appearance. I’m big enough and ugly enough and I know I have a decent size honker… to make comments like that I think it is uncalled for.’
‘He believes he can speak on behalf of the AFL and the AFL should be following exactly what he says. He has this enormous sense of self-importance that he runs the game and he can tell the AFL what to do.’
‘It wasn’t about Eddie, it wasn’t about the AFL’: McGuire had been riled up after seeing Port sporting their historical ‘prison bar’ jerseys in a post-match photo from the changerooms
Koch also explained: ‘Basically it was a player decision to wear the guernsey in the song, it wasn’t about Eddie, it wasn’t about the AFL… You are allowed to wear anything in the changerooms.’
McGuire was insistent that wearing the jumper was in breach of a legal agreement that dated back to Port’s entry to the AFL in 1997 which he claimed restricted use of black-and-white colours to Collingwood only.
When Port joined the AFL in 1997, they changed their name from the Magpies and added teal to their black-and-white colours to distinguish themselves from Collingwood.
In 2007, then Collingwood president Mr McGuire and former Port Adelaide CEO John James signed a contract agreeing to let the Power wear the traditional top in Heritage Round, which ended in 2008.
With Heritage Round no longer celebrated, Port has sought AFL permission to wear the jumper each time it plays the city rival Crows instead.
Feud: Koch called a contract McGuire (pictured) signed in 2007 ‘insider trading’ and accused him of being part of an AFL ‘Melbourne mafia’
Dispute: The Port Adelaide Powers want to wear a traditional black and white striped top (pictured) at games, but an old agreement forbids it
Mr Koch was outraged when Mr McGuire previously admitted that when the Magpies signed the agreement, they knew the Heritage round was going to be axed.
‘This (agreement) was signed by a president of a club who had inside knowledge that the other parties were not aware of – it begs the question if the AFL was aware of it,’ he said, claiming it was a form of ‘insider trading’.
‘That’s a reflection of this VFL [Victorian Australian Football], Melbourne mafia that pat the interstate clubs on the head, pay them a bit of attention but say ‘get away, this is our game,’ he said in April.
History: The two clubs signed an agreement (pictured) in 2007 which let Powers wear the traditional jersey at Heritage games – a round which was axed a year later
Port had asked the AFL for permission to wear the traditional ‘prison bars’ guernsey it wore throughout its history before entering the AFL, and had even considered using it without league approval, but threats of premiership point deductions were made.
‘I said “I’m happy to pay a fine and just bloody wear the thing” and they said that “we’ll fine you and take points off you”,’ Koch said in an interview in April.
‘It would be four points for the game – we can’t afford that.’
‘We can’t afford that’: Port and Koch had considered wearing the traditional ‘prison bars’ guernsey oh the field without league approval, but threats of premiership points being deducted were too risky