By Micky Monsoon
June 6 2005

The FA don't mind violence, if it's committed by Liverpool Football Club. In a shameful act of favouritism, the FA have decided that the acts of violence committed by Reds fans at the Den were justified. Anyone who was there knows the facts have been ignored by the rule-bending FA. I couldn't say it better than Rod Liddle, who deserves a medal for this piece in the Times:

The FA is expected to deliver its verdict today on what to do with Millwall. We’re in the dock again, this time awaiting sentence. The FA has already found us guilty, although quite how, or why, is anyone’s guess. The club fear a large fine and maybe closure of the ground — either of which could push us over the edge.
Like most clubs outside the Barclays Premiership, we’re perennially in debt. We don’t do much tapping up of famous players. The fans get tapped up for the occasional donation, that’s about it.



The circumstances of Millwall’s conviction are bizarre. But we’re dealing here with the monumental arrogance and partisanship of the FA and its eagerness to score cheap political points. For those in Soho Square, there are teams that matter — the Premiership teams — and those that don’t — the rest. What’s happening to Millwall could have happened to any small club, from Tranmere Rovers to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Last October, Millwall played Liverpool in a Carling Cup game and got well and truly stuffed. There was quite a lot of violence at the game — all of it from the Liverpool fans. Some 68 seats were ripped out of the away end, coins were hurled at home supporters and a disabled Liverpool fan was injured by his comrades in the mêlée. Three Liverpool fans were arrested and convicted: no Millwall fans were arrested.

Quite rightly, the FA decided to investigate and in March this year, under its new chief executive, Brian Barwick (a Liverpool fan), pronounced Millwall guilty. Liverpool, meanwhile, seem to have been exonerated.

The FA decided that Millwall fans, and therefore the club, were guilty of racist chanting directed at Liverpool’s black defender, Djimi Traoré. They came to this conclusion despite neither the player nor Liverpool officials making any such complaint. Nor, during or directly after the game, did Liverpool supporters make a complaint of racism. Further, the Millwall stewards, who evict racists peremptorily, heard no racist chanting and neither did the Metropolitan Police.

That’s what they told the FA, too. Just to confirm this, I spoke to the police yesterday: they insisted that at no time were any complaints received; that they heard no racist chanting and that no Millwall fans were evicted for racist chanting. Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, is believed also to have told the FA there was no allegation of racist chanting.

I was there, too. I heard Traoré being roundly jeered by the Millwall contingent — but that was because he had clattered Marvin Elliott, the Millwall midfield player (who is, with wholly predictable irony, black). The FA says it thought the jeering took the form of monkey noises, but I’m not sure what sort of monkeys they’ve been mixing with. It sounded to me — and to everybody else — like “boooo!” There was some pretty unpleasant chanting about the Hillsborough disaster, which may be what inflamed the Liverpool fans. But that wasn’t on the charge sheet.

Once an inquiry had been called, a handful of Liverpool fans retrospectively decided that Millwall’s antipathy to Traoré had been provoked by the colour of his skin and — astonishingly — the FA agreed, despite testimonies to the contrary from the police, Liverpool, the player and Millwall. So we face crippling costs from the threat of an unspecified number of games behind closed doors while the FA continues its sterling efforts to get Liverpool admitted to next season’s Champions League.

As I say, there are clubs that matter and clubs that don’t matter. Never mind the evidence, never mind the ripped-out seats and the hurled coins, never mind the proven incidences of racism at other Premiership clubs this past year, about which the FA did, well, FA. Stick the boot into a small club who have neither the clout nor the influential lobby to hit back. It doesn’t matter if it scuppers their season or, indeed, their existence: it’s only Millwall. Or Tranmere, or Brighton. Or any of the rest.

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Just to see how blinkered and biased local reporting can be, just look at this piece from Chris Bascombe of the Liverpool Echo.

LIVERPOOL have been acquitted of the charge of failing to control their fans at last season's notorious Carling Cup tie at Millwall.

An investigation into the violent scenes at the New Den on October 26 cleared Liverpool FC of any wrongdoing.

However, Millwall are currently in the process of appeal having been found guilty of the same charge by an FA panel.

The FA are still refusing to make a statement confirming Liverpool's not guilty verdict, claiming Millwall's ongoing appeal means the matter has not been concluded.

However, the ECHO understands the decision was made as long as a month ago - before three Liverpool fans were jailed for their part in the violence.

Whatever the outcome of Millwall's private appeal, the FA won't overturn the Reds' verdict.

In addition, the FA's initial hearing in April concluded Millwall's supporters DID subject Liverpool's black players to racist abuse.

Djimi Traore was one of the victims during the 3-0 victory, which visiting supporters later claimed triggered the clashes between Liverpool and Millwall fans.

Liverpool supporters also complained of sick chanting regarding the Hillsborough disaster, a claim Millwall's then chairman Theo Paphitis strongly denied.

Anfield chief executive Rick Parry was among the officials who had to give evidence at a three-day hearing in April.

The club vigorously contested the charges, pointing out that control of supporters in all sections of the stadium was the responsibility of the home club.

The Liverpool fans who attended the fixture may now feel their complaints about being sinned against rather than sinners are vindicated.

The not guilty verdict concludes an excellent fortnight for Liverpool's travelling supporters, erasing the only dark shadow over their season.

Last week, they received worldwide acclaim for their behaviour in Istanbul where there wasn't a single arrest before, during or after the European Cup final with AC Milan.

The FA's punishment for Millwall will be closely monitored given their forthright condemnation of the racist comments of Spanish coach Luis Aragones earlier this season.

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How about a little song for our Scouse mates:

Dream on, dream on,
With lies on your lips
And you can walk on disabled support
Cos it's never is your fault!