NORTH MELBOURNE chief executive Eugene Arocca and Collingwood president Eddie McGuire have locked horns over clash guernseys to be used in their round-16 match, engaging in a war of words on radio yesterday.

Central to the debate was a disagreement over conditions in Arocca's contract. McGuire claims to have given permission for Arocca to break his contract with Collingwood and take on his role at Arden Street on the condition that the Kangaroos agreed to change their jumper in games against Collingwood.

"We have an agreement in place that the Kangaroos would not wear their stripes against Collingwood," McGuire told 3AW.

"Part of that agreement goes back to us supporting North Melbourne in their bid to remain autonomous, to leave the Gold Coast and to receive the payments from the AFL.

"It also goes back to me giving permission to the Kangaroos to approach Eugene Arocca and then to release him from his contract to be their CEO. So as far as I'm concerned there is no issue."

Arocca claims to be "staggered" by the claim and says no permission was required because he already had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave Collingwood if he was offered a chief executive position elsewhere.

"I had an agreement in place (at Collingwood) that allowed me to resign at any time," Arocca told 3AW.

"I'm staggered at the suggestion that even permission to interview me was taken to be a binding agreement whereby North Melbourne gave up its right to wear the jumper."

McGuire said Collingwood had a written agreement with Port Adelaide that the Pies would not have to change their jumpers against the Power. He has now requested a similar arrangement with North Melbourne and has made it clear that the Pies will take further action if they do not get what they want.

"Don't North want the Collingwood people to turn up to that game? If we are forced to wear another jumper we'll put a big screen down at the Lexus Centre and they can come and watch it there..

"I can't understand why they'd want us to wear something we've never worn in 110 years of football against a club that has a great tradition of being innovative," McGuire said. "They've changed their jumper, they've sold their jumper; two years ago we played them and there was a hoo-ha about this, and the next week, it was a home game and they wore a different jumper."

Arocca brushed aside McGuire's comments about Collingwood helping North Melbourne. "I worry about clubs that seek to use those sort of threats as a means to achieving their own outcomes. To have that hanging over our head as a constant threat or reminder is, on one view, disgraceful."

Arocca spoke to McGuire on Friday but says the only agreement in place is that North Melbourne would wear its clash jumper this year.

"We've agreed for this year to wear the alternate strip as directed by the AFL, but going forward, we're certainly not going to take that position," Arocca said. "We're going to insist on wearing our home jumper in our home games."

North is saying the league has ordered it to wear the alternative strip or risk a $100,000 fine.