David Koch called on to apologise to Mick Malthouse over 'White Australia' barb

Pert Adelaide president David Koch should apologise to legendary coach Mick Malthouse for his "White Australia" barb, top AFL reporter Damian Barrett says.

After Malthouse said that Port Adelaide and the AFL should turn their back on games in China, rather than "sell their soul" amid the coronavirus pandemic, Koch fired back: "If it was up to Mick Malthouse, he'd bring back the White Australia policy."

Malthouse, also branded a "dinosaur" by Koch, called the retort "very disappointing".

"I'm with Mick Malthouse on this one," Barrett said on The Sunday Footy Show.

"For David Koch to introduce a racial component to this whole argument was just unnecessary.

"Argue the China experiment on the merits or otherwise of it, but to play that racial standpoint angle within that wider debate, I think it's wrong.

"I actually think Mick Malthouse is owed an apology from David Koch, just for that line alone.

"Even the dinosaur [comment] ... fight back as hard as you want, but don't bring the racial standpoint into the overall argument."

Sunday Footy Show host Tony Jones backed Barrett's call.

"When it comes to footy credit, I'll take Mick Malthouse over David Koch any day of the week," Jones said.

"But I'm pretty sure that David Koch, surely he would be apologising today, woudn't he? Wouldn't he be dropping Mick a line and just sort of say, 'Look, spur of the moment comment, throwaway line, I didn't mean anything by it and I'm sorry."