Millwall left 'shocked' as FA brings Upton Park charges

Published on Tuesday 29 September 2009 01:15

MILLWALL expressed their disbelief after being hit with three disciplinary charges by the Football Association over the crowd violence at the infamous Carling Cup match at West Ham.

West Ham have been issued with four charges, while both clubs have been charged with failing to prevent racist behaviour by fans, and the two London sides could be forced to play matches behind closed doors. League One club Millwall responded to the charges by saying they were powerless to influence events inside another team's stadium.

Before the match on 25 August, a 44-year-old season-ticket holder was taken to hospital with stab wounds and several others were injured outside Upton Park.

Millwall said in a statement: "Millwall Football Club are shocked and disappointed that charges have been issued against us in respect of events that took place at West Ham. We maintain that we did everything in our power with regard to our ticketing arrangements for this game. Furthermore 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. We have, and we continue to assist the authorities in their investigations into the events of that evening."

West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Millwall's Jason Price both claim they suffered racist abuse during the match, which the home side won 3-1.

The clubs have 14 days to respond to the FA before dates are set for the disciplinary hearings.