AFL: McGuire to undergo racial counselling

Eddie McGuire. Photo / Getty Images

Eddie McGuire may only spend one session in an education program as the AFL deals with him under its racial vilification policy.

The Collingwood president was cited by the AFL for his comment on radio suggesting Sydney icon Adam Goodes could promote the King Kong stage show.

It came just five days after Goodes was called an ape by a 13-year-old Magpies supporter during a match at the MCG.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the program was been coordinated by the AFL's community relations manager Jason Mifsud, indigenous players and indigenous leaders.

"They will work out a program that they believe best suits this situation," Demetriou told 3AW.

"He will have to go through that education process and that may involve a process that takes more than one session but that's entirely up to the people who are the experts in this area."

Demetriou said there was a different, longer process for a person who was "completely ignorant and intolerant", which wasn't the case with McGuire.

"Sometimes you have to adapt the education program to adapt to people who haven't got a racial bone in their body but they do make mistakes and they've said things that hurt people."

Former Hawk Robert DiPierdomenico, who is employed in by the AFL in their Auskick program, and former Adelaide recruiting chief Matt Rendell are two who have previously been through the process.

DiPierdomenico completed a six-week program in 2010 visiting indigenous communities after making a racist comment about former Essendon and Port Adelaide great Gavin Wanganeen.

-AAP