Peter Parka
Well-Known Member
Pathetic! I fail to see there is much more either club could have done than hand out life bans to people afterwards which they are doing. If a bunch of people decide to act like morons on mass like this, it dosen't matter what you do, there's little you can do to prevent it.
West Ham & Millwall charged by FA
By Frank Keogh
West Ham and Millwall have been hit with several Football Association charges following the crowd trouble that marred their Carling Cup match.
They are expected to contest the accusations of failing to control their fans at the game on 25 August.
Both clubs are alleged to have taken insufficient action to stop missile throwing and violent, threatening and racist behaviour at Upton Park.
The Hammers face four charges, while Millwall must answer three.
A Millwall supporter was stabbed as fans clashed outside the east London ground and pitch invasions by West Ham fans followed each of their side's goals in the 3-1 extra-time win.
West Ham's Carlton Cole and Millwall's Jason Price also alleged they were racially abused by supporters.
We do acknowledge the appalling behaviour of a minority of fans inside the stadium
West Ham spokesman
A total of 200 seats and a toilet block in the visiting supporters' section of the ground are understood to have been damaged.
Millwall say they are "shocked and disappointed" by the charges levelled against them.
A club spokesman said: "We maintain we did everything in our power in regard to ticketing arrangements for this game. We expressed our concerns in advance about ticket allocations and arrangements in general.
"It was widely acknowledged that none of our supporters came on to the pitch and indeed the behaviour and forbearance of our fans brought praise from media observers on the night.
"Our question for the Football Association is what can Millwall Football Club do to control individuals' actions once inside our opponents' stadium?"
West Ham plan to review the charges before responding but are expected to make a strong defence.
"In advance of the Millwall match, the club followed the strict advice of the relevant authorities at every stage of the planning process," said a club spokesman.
"That full co-operation continued on the night, with the club working closely with police on a carefully set-out plan that was initiated and approved by the independent safety advisory group.
"We do acknowledge the appalling behaviour of a minority of fans inside the stadium and, in conjunction with police, will continue to take strong and appropriate action against anyone found responsible."
An FA statement alleges the clubs did not ensure their supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion "in and around the ground".
Both West Ham and Millwall face charges of failing to ensure their fans refrained from:
- Violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour
- Racist behaviour
- Throwing missiles, harmful or dangerous objects on to the pitch
West Ham are also charged with failing to ensure their supporters did not enter the field of play.
The FA has liaised with the Metropolitan Police and received reports from both clubs, who have 14 days to respond to the charges.
Fans identified as troublemakers will face lifetime bans, the FA has said.
Details of possible sanctions if the clubs are found guilty have not been revealed, although it appears heavy fines are an option, with West Ham facing the biggest punishment.
Previous records of dealing with crowd behaviour will also be taken into account, while footage from 47 closed circuit television cameras inside Upton Park is being examined as police inquiries continue.
West Ham, who were knocked out of the competition by Bolton Wanderers after extra-time last Tuesday, have received information from fans after photos from the night were published on their website and in a match programme.
The club have already issued 10 lifetime banning orders, including a number to supporters who identified themselves as pitch invaders.
Both teams have held reputations in the past for attracting a hooligan following and Millwall have particularly sought to change the club's image, which has been blighted by violence.
The club complained before the match when their ticket allocation was halved to 1,500 following a police request.
Hundreds of supporters were thought to have turned up for the game without tickets.
It was the first time the east London rivals had played each other since April 2005.
Eyewitness reports suggested opposing fans threw bottles and bricks at each other and started small fires as police moved in to try to quell the disturbances outside the ground.
Inside the stadium, police and stewards battled to remove fans from the pitch throughout the match.
West Ham are likely to tell the FA they complied with requests made by the police-led safety advisory group, which met twice before the match, and point to the fact there were no direct clashes between the opposing supporters inside the ground.
At the time Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola said he was "shocked" by the crowd trouble, adding he had not seen anything like it in seven years as a player in England.
Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe labelled the incidents "a disgrace to football" while former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp questioned whether the sides should be allowed to meet again in the future.
Story from BBC SPORT:
West Ham & Millwall charged by FA
By Frank Keogh
West Ham and Millwall have been hit with several Football Association charges following the crowd trouble that marred their Carling Cup match.
They are expected to contest the accusations of failing to control their fans at the game on 25 August.
Both clubs are alleged to have taken insufficient action to stop missile throwing and violent, threatening and racist behaviour at Upton Park.
The Hammers face four charges, while Millwall must answer three.
A Millwall supporter was stabbed as fans clashed outside the east London ground and pitch invasions by West Ham fans followed each of their side's goals in the 3-1 extra-time win.
West Ham's Carlton Cole and Millwall's Jason Price also alleged they were racially abused by supporters.
We do acknowledge the appalling behaviour of a minority of fans inside the stadium
West Ham spokesman
A total of 200 seats and a toilet block in the visiting supporters' section of the ground are understood to have been damaged.
Millwall say they are "shocked and disappointed" by the charges levelled against them.
A club spokesman said: "We maintain we did everything in our power in regard to ticketing arrangements for this game. We expressed our concerns in advance about ticket allocations and arrangements in general.
"It was widely acknowledged that none of our supporters came on to the pitch and indeed the behaviour and forbearance of our fans brought praise from media observers on the night.
"Our question for the Football Association is what can Millwall Football Club do to control individuals' actions once inside our opponents' stadium?"
West Ham plan to review the charges before responding but are expected to make a strong defence.
"In advance of the Millwall match, the club followed the strict advice of the relevant authorities at every stage of the planning process," said a club spokesman.
"That full co-operation continued on the night, with the club working closely with police on a carefully set-out plan that was initiated and approved by the independent safety advisory group.
"We do acknowledge the appalling behaviour of a minority of fans inside the stadium and, in conjunction with police, will continue to take strong and appropriate action against anyone found responsible."
An FA statement alleges the clubs did not ensure their supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion "in and around the ground".
Both West Ham and Millwall face charges of failing to ensure their fans refrained from:
- Violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour
- Racist behaviour
- Throwing missiles, harmful or dangerous objects on to the pitch
West Ham are also charged with failing to ensure their supporters did not enter the field of play.
The FA has liaised with the Metropolitan Police and received reports from both clubs, who have 14 days to respond to the charges.
Fans identified as troublemakers will face lifetime bans, the FA has said.
Details of possible sanctions if the clubs are found guilty have not been revealed, although it appears heavy fines are an option, with West Ham facing the biggest punishment.
Previous records of dealing with crowd behaviour will also be taken into account, while footage from 47 closed circuit television cameras inside Upton Park is being examined as police inquiries continue.
West Ham, who were knocked out of the competition by Bolton Wanderers after extra-time last Tuesday, have received information from fans after photos from the night were published on their website and in a match programme.
The club have already issued 10 lifetime banning orders, including a number to supporters who identified themselves as pitch invaders.
Both teams have held reputations in the past for attracting a hooligan following and Millwall have particularly sought to change the club's image, which has been blighted by violence.
The club complained before the match when their ticket allocation was halved to 1,500 following a police request.
Hundreds of supporters were thought to have turned up for the game without tickets.
It was the first time the east London rivals had played each other since April 2005.
Eyewitness reports suggested opposing fans threw bottles and bricks at each other and started small fires as police moved in to try to quell the disturbances outside the ground.
Inside the stadium, police and stewards battled to remove fans from the pitch throughout the match.
West Ham are likely to tell the FA they complied with requests made by the police-led safety advisory group, which met twice before the match, and point to the fact there were no direct clashes between the opposing supporters inside the ground.
At the time Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola said he was "shocked" by the crowd trouble, adding he had not seen anything like it in seven years as a player in England.
Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe labelled the incidents "a disgrace to football" while former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp questioned whether the sides should be allowed to meet again in the future.
Story from BBC SPORT:
