Soccer fans have booed a “welcome to country” humiliation ritual at the Australia Cup final in Melbourne, in a repeat of scenes at the A-League Grand Final last year.
Footage from the match between Melbourne Victory and South Melbourne showed “Uncle” Colin Hunter Junior Junior being loudly booed as he welcomed the crowd to their own country at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
“Good evening and welcome, it is my honour and privilege to be here tonight, my name is Colin Hunter the fourth,” said Mr Hunter, who does not look indigenous and also performed the ceremony, which was invented in the 1970s.
Soccer fans boo “welcome to country” humiliation ritual delivered by Uncle Colin Jnr Jnr at the Australia Cup final in Melbourne.
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He then false claimed that the Australia Cup was taking place on “wurundjeri country” and boos continued to ring out.
“I wish to pay my respects to both elders (sic) past, present and emerging, elders from all nations, especially all aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members joining us here today,” he continued.
“Wurundjeri is part of the kulin nation, and of the wurrung language group, wurundjeri country extends from the inner city of Melbourne, across to the Great Dividing Range, west to the Werribee River, south to the Mordialloc Creek, and east to Mount Baw Baw.”
The crowd then belted out the national anthem before the match began, which South Melbourne won 4-3 on penalties.
Viewers took to social media after hearing to booing to praise the crowd for defying the unpopular ritual, which seven out of 10 Australians want stopped completely.
“The Aussie crowd boos as they are sick and tired of being welcomed to their own country, especially by a 98% White man with 2% aboriginal ethnicity. This is just embarrassing,” wrote right-wing influencer Lozzy B.
“Well done, Melbourne! Some spectacular booing of the welcome to country at the Australia Cup Final today. We don’t need to be welcomed to our own country. Australia belongs to all Australians,” wrote commentator Kobie Thatcher.
“Good on the crowd for booing the welcome to country at the Australia Cup… But Holy… this bloke’s aboriginal? What?!” wrote Mickamious.
“Booing the welcome to country ceremony. Singing the Australian anthem with gusto. Soccer fans,” observed another.
But some objected to the booing, with one X user writing: “I’ll never get booing the welcome to country. Like is it hard to just shut up for a minute.”
The booing comes after members of the Brazilian national soccer team were caught on camera trying not to laugh during a “welcome to country” in Townsville last month.
The term “welcome to country” was coined by indigenous activist Rhonda Roberts, who died in March this year, and the performances have since become ubiquitous at sporting and political events despite their unpopularity.
The inclusion of the performances in Anzac Day dawn services has also sparked backlash and caused boos to ring out during the last two years in a row, resulting in several men being charged and convicted.
In June this year, nationalist activists Jacob Hersant, Michael Nelson, Nathan Bull and Ian Lomax were all found guilty of offensive behaviour for booing professional aboriginal Mark Brown during a performance in Melbourne in 2025, and were fined between $1,900 and $800.
A day earlier another man was convicted and fined $880 for booing a “welcome to country” at Sydney’s Anzac Day Dawn Service this year.
Header image: Left, right, footage from the Australia Cup “welcome to country” (10 Live).
