By Ben Woodall
March 3 2003

Millwall have announced a £2.5m pre-tax loss for the six months of the financial year up to November 2002.The club cited falling attendances as the main explanation to the situation. An away fan ban was imposed on the club for selected matches and a strict membership scheme imposed after riots at a play-off game last May both resulted in falling attendances at the New Den.

Millwall's average gate has fallen from 13,000 to 8,000 this season at a time when the wage bill has risen due to contractual commitments made to players. Lions chairman Theo Paphitis also blamed the collapse of ITV digital and the subsequent loss of £2.8m in revenue.

Speaking about the massive losses,Paphitis said "In common with most, if not all First Division clubs, the demise of ITV Digital has had a devastating impact on our finances."