Millwall chief executive Steve Kavanagh has condemned the behaviour of supporters at Saturday’s FA Cup third round defeat to Crystal Palace, which included booing players taking the knee, offensive chanting, and throwing objects onto the pitch.
After Palace goalscorer Michael Olise was hit with a bottle as he celebrated at the Den, Kavanagh has launched a campaign telling fans: “Don’t be a tosser.”
There were three separate incidents of discriminatory abuse, two arrests after a steward was physically assaulted. A supporter also ran onto the pitch and there were numerous accounts of drug use. Among those being investigated following the cup tie are two-season ticket holders.
Kavanagh described fans’ conduct as “disgraceful and unwelcome”, saying “countless missiles were thrown” and that “if one of them caused any sort of injury… then the consequences would be beyond anything the club or supporters have experienced in recent history”.
Related Stories
Eagles midfielder Conor Gallagher was also subjected to homophobic chanting.
Last year, Millwall launched a survey of supporters during which drug use, and fans booing players who took the knee were given as key reasons by those who said they had stopped attending matches.
Millwall announced last season that their players would not be taking the knee and would combat discrimination in other ways.
“I’ve lost count of the amount of supporters who have contacted me or other staff to say they can no longer attend while the booing is going on,” Kavanagh added. “We also have employees throughout the club, Academy and Community Trust who feel understandably very upset and angry both by it and the subsequent damage it is doing.”
More from Football
Arsenal Women unlikely to get new Adidas training kit this season despite player complaints12 January, 2022
The bizarre end to Tunisia vs Mali will haunt African football as it fights for its reputation12 January, 2022
Holding El Clasico in Saudi Arabia is an act of greed - it's worse than Newcastle's takeover12 January, 2022Millwall have introduced a number of measures to curb hooliganism, including decanting drinks into plastic cups in certain parts of the ground and introducing sniffer dogs to detect drugs and pyrotechnics.
“Nobody wants to see our name or indeed the reputation of fans tarnished,” Kavanagh added.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3I0I55C
Post a Comment