“Nothing has changed”: Lumumba cuts ties with Collingwood

Former Collingwood premiership player Héritier Lumumba has announced that he will terminate all communications with the Collingwood Football Club, claiming it has no intention of achieving a just outcome for those who experienced racism at the club.

"After 15 months of dialogue to address past incidents of racism at the Collingwood Football Club, Leon Davis, Andrew Krakouer and I have formally notified the club that we are officially terminating all communications with CFC," Lumumba tweeted on Wednesday morning.

"Nothing has changed.

"It is our firm belief that the Collingwood Football Club has no intention of acting in good faith to achieve a just outcome for past players who have experienced racism at the Club."

2/2 Nothing has changed. It is our firm belief that the Collingwood Football Club has no intention of acting in good faith to achieve a just outcome for past players who have experienced racism at the Club.

— Héritier Lumumba (@iamlumumba) April 12, 2022

Lumumba claimed "nothing has changed" one year on from Collingwood's "Do Better" report, a 35-page document commissioned by the Club in 2020 in response to claims of racism from Lumumba.

The authors of the report, Professors Larissa Berendt and Lindon Coombes of The Jumbunna Institute, undertook an independent review of the club in early 2021 and found that the club had been guilty of systemic racism.

Héritier Lumumba slams ‘painful’ response by Collingwood Football Club to damning report that exposes systemic racism and a toxic culture at the club. #racism #CollingwoodFC #HeritierLumumba pic.twitter.com/MkXgy5quvT

— NITV (@NITV) February 2, 2021

Last month, the authors of the report claimed the Club was making promising progress in a 12-month review of its progress since the initial "Do Better" report.

"Following (the review of Collingwood progress), we can conclude that Collingwood is making promising progress on the implementation of the recommendations," it read.

"The leadership and courage of Collingwood to first commission the Do Better report and to ask the Jumbunna Institute team back one year later to independently review their progress shows commitment to a robust process that must be acknowledged."

However, Lumumba, who hasn't spoken publicly on such matters over the past year throughout the process of the Do Better report, said it still neglected key issues.

Lumumba, Davis and Krakouer combined to play 469 games in the black and white between 2000 and 2014, with the former pair earning premiership honours with the club in 2010.