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Articles |
04/05/02
- MILLWALL DECLARE WAR ON THUGS
By Alastair Moffitt, PA Sport
Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis has vowed to do all
he can to eradicate the "evil" of football
hooliganism. Violence broke out after Millwall were
beaten by Stern John's last-minute winner which sent
Birmingham through to the First Division play-off semi-final
at the New Den last night.
Up to 50 police officers were injured, with six needing
hospital treatment, after clashes with several hundred
disgruntled Millwall fans leaving the stadium. Police
said they threw missiles, including bricks, paving stones,
flares and fireworks. But Paphitis defended his club,
insisting such violence "plagues the whole of society".
He said in a statement: "Millwall Football Club
deeply regrets the appalling incidents that took place
following the play-off match with Birmingham City on
May 2. "Once again, the thuggish element which
sees football as a cover for their violent tendencies
has sullied the name of football and Millwall, and brought
deep distress to our local community with whom we have
close ties.
"We also wish to express our sympathy to those
police officers and horses injured on Thursday night.
"We have worked tirelessly over the past several
years to rid ourselves of the mindless minority. "Within
the confines of our ground where we have jurisdiction
we - working closely with the police and decent supporters
- have been successful.
"Where incidents occur away from the Den we do
of course feel a moral responsibility. "But the
problem of mob violence is not solely a Millwall problem,
it is not a football problem, it is a problem which
plagues the whole of our society.
"We, unfortunately, don't have the answer to society's
problems but we will continue to have dialogue and work
with anyone who believes that they can help eradicate
this evil." The Football Supporters' Association
today joined the condemnation of the Millwall hooligans
- warning football violence tars all fans as "idiots".
FSA vice-chairman Dave Boyle warned such widespread
violence will spark fresh fears in Japan over the invasion
of England's World Cup fans later this month. Boyle
told PA Sport: "I know a lot of decent Millwall
fans, but they are the ones that suffer - along with
decent fans everywhere - as people then think all fans
are idiots.
"Just before a World Cup, there is a lot of anxiety
about England fans' reputation abroad, so pictures of
violence being broadcast around world are not what we
need. "This is the sort of thing which the FSA
and the Football Association have worked hard to try
and clean up for the last 10 years.
"If these people involved in the violence were
genuine fans, they wouldn't do what they did last night.
That's not what being a supporter is about. "The
powers are already there to ban people from grounds
for a certain period or life if they are convicted of
football-related violence. "And no ordinary supporters
would weep any tears if they never saw these people
in a football ground again."
The Football League have reacted by demanding tough
action from police to bring the rioters to justice and
prevent them from further damaging the game's reputation.
Football League spokesman Ian Christon told PA Sport:
"These were disgraceful scenes and nobody wants
to see that connected with football.
"In terms of disciplinary action the Football Association
are responsible. "We hope the police press charges
against the people involved and the courts take action
to ban these people from football grounds.
"We don't want this kind of thing blighting an
excellent season for the League and an excellent play-off
competition." The Football Association will wait
on police reports before deciding what action to take.
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