Dillon addresses criticism of Swans' Bondi tribute

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has addressed reports that Matthew Pavlich's speech at last weekend's season opener between the Swans and Carlton was altered at the last minute.

In front of 40,000 fans at the SCG, the Sydney CEO led a moving tribute to the victims, families and first responders of the Bondi terror attack last December.

According to SEN's Gerard Healy, the word “Jew” or any reference to the “Jewish” community was edited from the speech that Pavlich delivered.

“They’re a bit messy at the moment, I’ve got to say, for something that was so fundamentally magnificent last week to start the footy season, and it was a simple error of ... judgement,” Healy said.

"I didn’t pick it up, but the reality was that the word Jew wasn’t mentioned at all on the night ... and it’s upset a lot of Jewish people."

Swans chairman Andrew Pridham is expected to speak on the matter later today.

When asked for his understanding of what happened, Dillon said: "I will start by saying the events of Bondi was an antisemitic attack on the community and at odds with Australia’s way of life and values. The tribute that was paid by the Swans and the AFL ... you wish you didn’t have to do it.

"It was the first game of the season in front of 40,000 at the SCG, a million on TV, it was the right forum for that; it was to pay tribute to members of the Jewish community that lost their lives, to pay tribute to their families who are suffered, the rest of the community and the first responders. That’s what’s important.

"I don’t know the ins and outs of scripts. Matthew did a great job of hosting that ceremony. It was the appropriate forum, and it paid tribute to the victims of a horrific attack on the Jewish community."