AFL: 'Racist card played' over banana-throwing row

Crows star Eddie Betts was the subject of an apparently racist taunt. Photo / Getty Images

The father of a Port Adelaide AFL fan banned for throwing a banana at an indigenous player has defended his daughter on talkback radio - and she probably wishes he hadn't.

The man, who said he was the woman's father and gave his name as "Don" told Adelaide FiveAA "the racist card" was being played and his daughter had been "demonised".

Don called the station to defend his daughter, who has been identified and banned indefinitely by the AFL club, after she threw a banana towards indigenous Adelaide star Eddie Betts on Saturday night.

Don said he was yet to speak to his 27-year-old daughter, who he said lived with her mother and had "gone to ground". She has also removed social media profiles and reportedly made it difficult for the football club to contact her.

"I am just absolutely shocked. I was beside myself, because it is just so uncharacteristic. This kid is a beautiful kid. She's unassuming, honest. This was so uncharacteristic."

Don refused to concede the act was planned. "No way in the world. Unless my daughter was on drugs overnight, no way in the world."

Don added: "The thing that irritates me probably the most is that we're playing the racist card here". Don said this was "more an act of frustration than a racist act where she's thrown a banana. You people in the media, you sensationalise anything."

One man in the crowd - Will - filmed the moment the woman threw the banana. He spoke on Triple M Adelaide to explain what was going on.

"She was getting a bit louder towards the end of the game," Will said. "It was only a small group, probably about four or five people, in this little area that were particularly racist. A person behind her was telling her to sit down and shut up, and I think was giving her a bit of a spray, then she ended up leaving."