Millwall Hooligans

Millwall have been involved in more hooligan incidents than any other club in Britain. There reputation for disorder at matches is unparalleled. Millwall's chant "No one likes us, we don't care" is a jibe at those who criticise there club at every opportunity.

There are three incidents in Millwall's history of violence that stand out from the rest. In 1978 Millwall played Ipswich Town in an FA Cup match at The Den that led to a full scale riot breaking out. Fighting broke out around the stadium before the match, coaches carrying Ipswich fans to the match came under heavy attack as Millwall's firm pelted them with bricks and rocks. The fighting continued on the terraces and spilled out onto the pitch. All sorts of weapons were used on the day including bats, iron bars, knives and bottles. The club had it's ground closed for two weeks and was barred from hosting FA Cup matches for two years.

Luton Town v Millwall 1985

In 1985 Millwall played away to Luton Town in the FA Cup. The game was marred in violence as Millwall's away support ran riot. The game was suspended after just 14 minutes as overcrowding on the terraces led to an overspill on the pitch. The game was halted for 25 minutes until order was resumed. The atmosphere at the game was described as hostile and at the final whistle all hell broke loose. Millwall's traveling supporters along with hooligans from other London firms broke out onto he pitch as the violence ensued.
Over 700 seats were ripped up and used as missiles. 81 people were taken to hospital with injuries, 31 of which were policeman. This included a policeman who had a concrete slab smashed over the back of his head and had stopped breathing. One of his colleagues came to the rescue and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation and was attacked while the violence continued around him. The scenes were some of the worst ever seen at a football match in the UK and Millwall was fined a record £7,500 for there role in the carnage. Luton Town banned all away supporters from there ground for 6 years after this incident. Below is footage of the incident as reported on British television.

More recently in 2002 Millwall played Birmingham City in a play off semi final at The New Den. Millwall lost the game 2-1 on aggregate and didn't take the defeat too well. A riot broke out on the streets around the stadium as the bushwackers fought running battles with the police. The supporters threw bricks, rocks and fireworks as 45 police officers were injured in the sustained attack lasting an hour before it was brought under control. About 900 fans were involved in the incident as buildings around the ground were damaged and two cars were torched, police made 7 arrests. Experienced officers on duty that night said it was some of the worst violence they had ever seen.