Clubs condemn violence at FA Cup

[sweet soul]

Im glad Hull won : )

Hull City and Millwall football clubs have both condemned the violence which marred Saturday's FA Cup tie in Hull.

Twelve people were arrested by riot police after crowd trouble at the KC Stadium in which more than 50 seats were ripped out and used as missiles.

Hull City said in a statement that a significant number of Millwall fans had "arrived with the single intention of causing maximum disruption".

Millwall pledged to "rid this club of the element that caused problems".

Both Hull and Millwall fans were among the 12 people arrested, but most of the trouble was confined to the North Stand, where Millwall supporters were seated.

Compensation sought

Hull chairman Paul Duffen said: "There is no place for this kind of mindless hooliganism in football.

"It is an ugly throwback to a bygone era which most clubs have long since eradicated from their culture."

The club would seek compensation from Millwall for the damage, he added.

In a statement, the Premier League club said: "A full statement will be issued on conclusion of police and stadium investigations, but it is already clear that a significant contingent of the travelling Millwall supporters arrived at the match with the single intention of causing maximum disruption.

So-called Hull City fans were also arrested on Saturday and there were problems at other games

Millwall executive deputy chairman Heather Rabbatts

"Over 50 seats were destroyed together with toilet facilities and concession shutters, all in the North Stand occupied by visiting supporters."

Millwall executive deputy chairman Heather Rabbatts said: "I have already spoken to a number of genuine fans as well as other directors, and we are as one in our determination to rid this club of the element that caused problems on Saturday.

"These people will now be identified by other clubs and police forces as potential troublemakers and treated accordingly.

"We at Millwall will continue to take responsibility for doing everything in our power to rid ourselves of a criminal element which clearly sees big games involving our club as an opportunity to indulge in anti-social behaviour.

"While Millwall's name was again the one that hit the media headlines, so-called Hull City fans were also arrested on Saturday and there were problems at other games, just as there have been during the course of the season."

Known troublemakers

Humberside Police have warned they are planning to make further arrests after studying video surveillance of the crowd trouble.

A force spokesman said an operation to counter the violence had worked well, as officers and stewards prevented the two sets of supporters coming together in the ground.

He said about 500 known troublemakers were among the Millwall fans.

Trouble first broke out among rival supporters in the 18,639 crowd before kick-off in a section of the North Stand where Millwall fans were closest to Hull supporters.

There was further trouble during the second-half in the opposite end of the North Stand.

Hull beat the League One side 2-0 to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1989.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/7849776.stm

Millwall fans have always had a bad name

[aleefx]

For Gods sake they're all grown ups who enjoy a bit of a ruck. They aren't attacking women and children, just other like minded young men who are up for a rumble. If consenting adults can fist each other, why can't some lads let off a bit of steam?

[fastkat]

Why should this sort of violence be tolerated in a football stadium, you brainless idiot...

[aleefx]

Why shouldn't it?

[sweet soul]

They could have blinded someone. And they only went to cause trouble!

[aleefx]

How could they have blinded somone? Kinell, you're like one of those people that ban conkers in case someone gets hurt

[sweet soul]

they was throwing chairs not conkers

[Victor Meldrew]

Surely the comments from aleefx are a wind up? No rational thinking person can seriously hold the opinion that football stadia are there for some sort of gladiatorial contest between opposing fans? Why bother having the teams come out at all, when you could just have two sets of fans knocking ten bells of s**t out of each other?

Anyone who went to football regularly during the early to mid seventies will recall that football was overwhelmed by the numpty tribes who just went out to take on the rival fans. Ambushes well away from the stadia where innocent people were caught up in, say, shopping centres, were regular occurances.

To say that innocent people were not caught up in this is sheer ignorance. Of course women and children were in the front line of those chairs being thrown over the barricades. Have a look at the several videos of the violence on Youtube (if they haven't been removed from when I saw them on Saturday night) and away from the centre of the 'action' you will see women and youngsters sitting by the segregated area cowering or trying to get away from the trouble.

Millwall have always been in the vanguard of football violence. in the seventies, their hooligans even had different factions, such as 'Treatment' and 'F Troop', who would have their own little schemes for attacking opposition fans. They've always been 'up for it' where violence at big games is concerned. Having said that, Hull have always had their element too, even when they were at League 1 level. I've actually felt less safe at Hull (the old Boothferry Park ground) than at the old Den, and that includes one occasion when, by mistake, I ended up standing on the Cold Blow Lane end terraces for a local derby.

To be honest, these lot deserve each other.