2009 Upton Park riot
| 2009 Upton Park riot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The Boleyn Ground, where the disturbances took place | |||
| Date | 25 August 2009 | ||
| Location | |||
| Methods | Pitch invasions,violentcivil disorder | ||
| Parties | |||
| Casualties and losses | |||
| |||
| 20 others injured | |||
The2009 Upton Park riotoccurred in and aroundWest Ham United'sBoleyn Ground,inUpton Parkbefore, during and after aFootball League Cupsecond round match between West Ham andMillwallon 25 August 2009. The match was won by the home side 3–1 afterextra time,[1]but the game was marred bypitch invasionsand disorder in the streets outside the ground, where a Millwall supporter[2]wasstabbed.[3]The disturbances were met with condemnation bythe Football Association,the British government and the two clubs involved.[4][5][6]The incident led to fears of a return of thehooliganismthat had tarnished the reputation of English football in the 1970s and 80s.[7]There were also concerns that it could have a negative effect onEngland's bidto host the2018 World Cup- which was rejected in favour of the bid fromRussiamore than a year later.[8]
Background
[edit]Millwall and West Ham United have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to the clubs' first meeting, a friendly on 23 September 1897. The rivalry stems from the two clubs geographical proximity to one another – their home grounds at the time (The Denand theBoleyn Ground) were 6.8 miles (10.9 km) apart – and over the years, there have been several instances of violence between some fans of the two clubs. However, these occurrences had subsided in recent years as the clubs have played in different divisions for most of the time since the 1950s. West Ham, for instance, have been members of the top flight for all but a few seasons since 1958, whereas Millwall only played in the top flight for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 and have at times competed in the third and even fourth tiers of the English league.
Prior to the match, there had been 96 encounters between Millwall and West Ham, of which Millwall had won 38, West Ham 32, and 26 were drawn. The previous tie was aFootball League Championshipgame played on 16 April 2005 at the Boleyn Ground, which ended 1–1.[9]
Hooliganism was rife at most English football grounds in the 1970s and 80s, and many clubs were forced into installing fencing around the perimeter of the pitch. Millwall's hooligan firm, theMillwall Bushwackers,was perceived as one of the most violent, so much so that a common weapon used in such occurrences became known as aMillwall brick.In March 1985, a large section of the club's hooligans were involved in ariotwithLuton Town's firm theMIGs;of the 31 men arrested, many were found to be supporters of other London clubs such as West Ham andChelsea.West Ham United have also been in receipt of bad publicity for theirInter City Firm,which received international notoriety after the release of the 1989 filmThe Firmand the 2005 filmGreen Street.
The draw for the second round of the2009–10 Football League Cuptook place on 12 August 2009, and paired West Ham and Millwall together for their first ever League Cup meeting.[10]The police cut the number of tickets given to travelling Millwall fans from 3,000 to 1,500, sparking anger among supporters; Millwall warned police of a higher probability of trouble because of this.[11][12]
Match
[edit]Summary
[edit]Beset by injuries,Millwallcould only name four substitutes for the game. They took the lead through long-serving strikerNeil Harrisin the 26th minute of the match, firing past goalkeeperRobert Greenafter theWest Hamdefenders had failed to clear a long throw-in fromScott Barron.The Lions held the lead until three minutes from full-time, whenJunior Stanislasequalised for West Ham. Stanislas' goal sparked apitch invasion,and although players pleaded with the home fans to return to the stands, the resumption of the match was still delayed by several minutes. With the score at 1–1, the match went intoextra time.In the eighth minute of extra time, Millwall defenderAndy Framptonwas adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area and refereePaul Taylorawarded West Ham apenalty kick.Stanislas converted the penalty, and home fans invaded the pitch again, prompting the Millwall players to retreat to the dressing room. They eventually returned to complete the match, withZavon Hinesadding a third, making the final score 3–1 to West Ham.[13]
Details
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    Millwall
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MATCH OFFICIALS
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MATCH RULES
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Reaction and aftermath
[edit]The violence was met by surprise and outrage from the footballing authorities and other bodies. The government's sports ministerGerry Sutcliffecommented, "We have made great progress in tackling hooliganism in this country and will not return to the dark days of the 80s." He called the incidents "a disgrace to football" and also said that any culprits should be banned from football for life.[4]Justice secretaryJack Strawsaid that "strong measures" needed to be taken to prevent a repeat of the disorder.[4]Home secretaryAlan Johnsonadded, "Anyone who thinks thuggery has a place in modern-day football is living in the dark ages, and will bring only shame upon the teams they support." The shadow culture secretaryJeremy Huntcommented that "Wider questions need to be answered as to how the situation was allowed to get out of hand in the first place."[4]One West Ham fan was seen carrying a young child on their shoulders as they joined the pitch invasion. A youth worker called this "sickening... The message it is sending is very disturbing" and added that "Running onto the pitch with a young child on your shoulders is not an example to set to young people."[14]The Football Associationsaid that the fan should receive a lifetime ban.
Harry Redknapp,a former West Ham manager, advised the football authorities never to allow West Ham United and Millwall to play each other in a Cup game again.[15]TheMetropolitan Police Servicesaid evidence suggested that the violence was planned, but that it was an isolated incident and not a signal that the football violence seen in the 1980s was returning.[16]On 28 September 2009, both West Ham and Millwall were charged by the FA with offences related to the match. Both clubs were charged with failing to ensure that their fans refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour, racist behaviour and throwing missiles, harmful or dangerous objects onto the pitch. West Ham were also charged with failing to ensure that their supporters did not enter the field of play.[17]
In January 2010 West Ham were fined £115,000 after being found guilty of violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour and of failing to prevent their fans entering the field of play. Millwall were cleared of all charges.[18]In response to the violence and public order offences the Metropolitan Police launched Operation Balconi to investigate the disorder surrounding the game. Eighty people suspected of violence before and after the match were arrested.[19]As a result,Inner London Crown Courtconvicted several West Ham fans of violent disorder, passing prison sentences, including one of 20 months, along with many football banning orders — barring individuals from all football grounds — being imposed. West Ham banned at least 54 people for life fromUpton Parkincluding 11 season ticket holders.[20]Since the riot, the two teams have played two Football League Championship games against other in the 2011–12 season. The Metropolitan Police implemented London-wide operations to ensure that the games passed by without any incident, and no further trouble was reported.[21]
References
[edit]- General
- Williams, Ollie (26 August 2009)."Crowd trouble club-by-club".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2009.Retrieved26 August2009.
- Specific
- ^"West Ham v Millwall - 25 August 2009".Sky Sports.British Sky Broadcasting.25 August 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 27 August 2009.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^"Football stab man 'tried to flee'".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.28 August 2009.Retrieved28 August2009.
- ^"Mass violence mars London derby".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.25 August 2009.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^abcd"Violence 'a disgrace to football'".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.26 August 2009.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^"FA to probe Upton Park violence".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.26 August 2009.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^Dyer, Ken (26 August 2009)."West Ham vow to hunt down thugs as Gianfranco Zola reveals his despair".Evening Standard.Archived fromthe originalon 27 August 2009.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^McFarlane, Andy (26 August 2009)."Hooliganism rears its ugly head".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^"2018 bid team condemns violence".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation.26 August 2009.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^"West Ham 1-1 Millwall".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation. 16 April 2005.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^"Carling Cup second-round draw".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation. 12 August 2009.Retrieved12 August2009.
- ^Gibson, Owen (5 January 2010)."West Ham and Millwall mount defence over Carling Cup violence".The Guardian.London.Retrieved19 July2010.
- ^"Millwall angered by Carling Cup ticket decision".The Wharf.London. 20 August 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 3 October 2011.Retrieved30 July2010.
- ^"West Ham 3-1 Millwall (aet)".BBC Sport.British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 August 2009.Retrieved31 August2009.
- ^"Pitch invader carried young child".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.26 August 2009.Retrieved31 August2009.
- ^"West Ham and Millwall should never play again, says Harry Redknapp".www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^Lee, Gavin (31 August 2009)."Fans 'planned' football violence".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved31 August2009.
- ^"West Ham & Millwall charged by FA".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.28 September 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2009.Retrieved28 September2009.
- ^"West Ham fined £115,000 over violence against Millwall".BBC News.British Broadcasting Corporation.15 January 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2010.Retrieved2 February2010.
- ^"Football yobs facing jail".www.newhamrecorder.co.uk. 3 October 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 23 July 2011.Retrieved23 October2010.
- ^"Millwall: An update".www.whufc.com. 7 April 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 5 May 2010.Retrieved23 October2010.
- ^"London-wide policing for Millwall v West Ham clash".The Wharf.London. 15 September 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 21 November 2013.Retrieved21 November2013.