Millwall-Lion

Remember : "You'll never beat the Englismen..."


Access Denied


With the huge amounts of money now involved in the football industry, the role of branding and marketing has become central to the national game. Anything that is seen to present a negative image of football is very unwelcome.
During the making of this series, a number of clubs and footballing authorities were approached to contribute. The Football Association refused us permission to use any footage of football matches.

They stated that their responsibilities involved "maintaining and promoting a positive image for football".


Milllwall hooligans confront the police


Millwall Football Club declined to take part in the programme. Despite the extraordinary scenes of violence and disorder we filmed involving Millwall hooligans, the club preferred not to be interviewed.

They claim to have taken a lot of action against the hooligans who tarnish the image of the club, but still preferred not to contribute to our film.

Cardiff City set stringent conditions on appearing in the programme - conditions that no broadcaster would comply with - claiming that the BBC was embarked on a crusade against Welsh football.

We also approached Stoke City, another club with a very problematic hooligan following, and a club which has gone to great lengths to combat the problem - including a joint initiative with Port Vale called True Supporters Against Violence. Stoke too, preferred not to appear in the series.

The exception to this rule was Bristol City. Colin Sextone, the Chief Executive, agreed to be interviewed about the appalling scenes at the match in Cardiff and was frank enough to admit to the role of Bristol City hooligans in some of the trouble.

and another one:

:: MILLWALL FANS FACE THE BAN

fans of english division one club millwall could be banned from away matches, following last week's rioting which left nearly 50 police officers injured and caused widespread damage.

police and millwall officials met tuesday to discuss ways of cracking down on the hooligans who went on the rampage after last thursday's defeat to birmingham in the division one playoffs. around 900 Millwall supporters attacked police, burned cars and damaged property outside the New End ground in one of the worst soccer riots in english soccer in recent years.

forty-six police officers and 26 police horses were injured. scotland Yard has threatened to sue the club for compensation. at tuesday's meeting, club chairman formally apologised to the police for the mayhem. a joint statement from the police and the club said: "The club has offered their fullest support to the post-incident investigation and has pledged that anything that can be done to identify those responsible for the violence will be done. this will include posting appeals and photographs on the club's website."

in addition, the club said it would consider, "placing restrictions on travelling supporters, both home and away, and rescheduling both kick-off times and dates of matches.
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peace