Call on AFL boss Gillon McLachlan to step down immediately as the game is left ‘leaderless’ while he lives out the celebrity chef and heiress’ Parisian wedding
Footy greats have slammed Gillon McLachlan, saying the outgoing AFL CEO ‘must go’ after flying out to attend a lavish wedding in France midway through the season.
McLachlan was a best man for celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi’s wedding to millionaire chicken heiress Tamie Ingham in Paris. He is also expected to go on vacation to Israel next month.
The star-studded guest list for the glamorous affair includes Lachlan Murdoch and his wife Sarah, Karl Stefanovic, chefs Matt Moran and Shannon Bennett, Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, Tom Waterhouse and Erika Packer in what was a who’s who of the Australian List A.
The 50-year-old soccer boss also attended a sumptuous pre-wedding dinner with his wife Laura as the happy couple and their guests tasted and dined at the exclusive Girafe Paris, a gourmet seafood restaurant which offers a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower.
As the game continues to swing from one controversy to the next – whether it’s dangerous tackles, the Hawthorn racism investigation or clubs criticizing the lack of communication with head office – the legends football said enough was enough in a scathing dismantling.
AFL CEO Gil McLachlan (second right) and media mogul Lachlan Murdoch (second left) both served as groomsmen for celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi’s lavish wedding to the millionaire chicken heiress Tamie Ingham
McLachlan and his wife Laura also attended a lavish pre-wedding dinner alongside the star-studded guest list at an ultra-exclusive Parisian restaurant (pictured)
The AFL boss (right) was one of the celebrity chef’s five groomsmen at the wedding at the Rodin Museum in Paris
McLachlan (right) heads to the wedding venue alongside fellow groomsman Lachlan Murdoch (centre)
He arrived for the glamorous pre-wedding party alongside his wife Laura wearing black trousers and a gray and navy check jacket combined with bright blue aviator sunglasses.
“Surely Gillon has to go now,” Essendon great Matthew Lloyd told Channel 9’s Footy Classified.
“Gillon McLachlan, it’s been going on too long. No one knows if they are coming or going. He must go now. [Incoming CEO] Andrew Dillon has to come in and be the boss.
‘Who tells us [the decisions]? This is the problem. We don’t have a leader.
‘Brad Scott [ex-AFL head of football] Left eight months ago, Gillon McLachlan has been hanging on for so long and that’s why he’s come to this point.
McLachlan, who replaced his predecessor Andrew Demetriou in 2014, announced he would step down in April last year, indicating he would finish after this season’s grand final.
He continued to push this back before finally announcing in May that he would be stepping down at the end of the season, to be replaced by longtime AFL employee Andrew Dillon.
McLachlan (right, pictured with AFL chairman Richard Goyder (left) finally announced in May that he would step down at the end of this season after an extended outing, to be replaced by Andrew Dillon (centre)
Football legends have called on McLachlan (pictured) to step down immediately given the lack of clarity and communication across the league
Geelong Premier’s hero Jimmy Bartel has said the continued lack of clarity over when he will leave the post – and confusing communication with clubs in the AFL House – is a bone of contention for many people in the league.
He joined Lloyd in demanding that Scott’s previous role in charge of football be filled on a permanent basis as discontent grows in the league.
“The reason you are confused is a lack of communication,” he said on Footy Classified.
“Go out to the clubs, because you are there to serve the clubs. I think we sometimes take this the wrong way.
“If the head of footy or whatever that role is… visits clubs, has regular conversations with footy managers and coaches, picks up the phone and says, ‘Hey, this is starting to seep’ (that’ll help ).’