Millwall Football Club face £45,000 sanction for discriminatory chanting but how bad is the broader problem at London games?
The club played Crystal Palace in a Carabao Cup fixture on Tuesday 16th of September 2025. They admitted the charge which happened in the 11th minute of their match, but denied accusations of chanting they were accused of in the 80th minute.
A picture showing part of the Selhurst Park ground, home of Crystal Palace, London, Wednesday Jan. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Tom Hevezi)
The game at Selhurst Park saw fans singing an ableist chant, using derogatory slur for disabled people, but no individual fans were identified as being involved.
The FA does not release the collective data of sanctions in relation to discriminatory chanting but does identify individual cases. Analysing the number of articles related to sanctions of this nature in the last 15 years, Millwall appears the most. With various offences across seasons related to homophobia, racism and ableism.
Here are a few instances:
The club faced a £15,000 fine in June last year for homophobic chants towards now former Crystal Palace left-back Ben Chilwell during a game in march 2025.
In 2023 they were fined £15,000 for religious chanting during a championship game against Wigan.
They were fined £10,000 for racist chanting in 2019 while playing Everton.
Former Crystal Palace player Ben Chilwell at Selhurst Park Stadium in London, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
But Millwall aren’t the only team with repeated reports of discrimination sanctions, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur both have a history of fines of this nature.
West Ham have had several high profile instances over the last 15 years and received one of the largest fines for a match against Chelsea. In May 2025 the team was fined £120,000 for the homophobic chanting that was heard at their game in the previous March.
Tottenham were fined £75,000 for homophobic chanting at a game against Manchester United in 2024. Tottenham were also fined £26,000 by UEFA when individuals performed Nazi salutes towards the Frankfurt side in a match earlier this year. UEFA banned Spurs’ fans from attending the following away match.
It’s rarer that fans have to deal with the consequences themselves as they’re usually not identified, but this could be a more effective way to tackle discrimination at games.
What’s being done?
The frequency of sanctions has increased since 2023, when the FA made homophobic chanting a specific disciplinary offence.
The FA claim they are working hard to prevent incidents like this from repeating and working on how they deal with them when they happen. Their ‘A game free from discrimination’ strategy 2024-2028 emphasises the reporting of these incidents online and in person.
Millwall have made a statement in response to the fine, but have not spoken further on how they are tackling this re-occuring issue at their games, just encouraging fans ‘to report any discriminatory behaviour seen or heard on matchdays via the Club’s dedicated, Hear Hate, Don’t Hesitate helpline.’
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StandfirstWhat does the data tell us about discriminatory chanting at London football clubs?
Millwall Football Club face £45,000 sanction for discriminatory chanting but how bad is the broader problem at London games?
The club played Crystal Palace in a Carabao Cup fixture on Tuesday 16th of September 2025. They admitted the charge which happened in the 11th minute of their match, but denied accusations of chanting they were accused of in the 80th minute.
A picture showing part of the Selhurst Park ground, home of Crystal Palace, London, Wednesday Jan. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Tom Hevezi)
The game at Selhurst Park saw fans singing an ableist chant, using derogatory slur for disabled people, but no individual fans were identified as being involved.
The FA does not release the collective data of sanctions in relation to discriminatory chanting but does identify individual cases. Analysing the number of articles related to sanctions of this nature in the last 15 years, Millwall appears the most. With various offences across seasons related to homophobia, racism and ableism.
Here are a few instances:
The club faced a £15,000 fine in June last year for homophobic chants towards now former Crystal Palace left-back Ben Chilwell during a game in march 2025.
In 2023 they were fined £15,000 for religious chanting during a championship game against Wigan.
They were fined £10,000 for racist chanting in 2019 while playing Everton.
Former Crystal Palace player Ben Chilwell at Selhurst Park Stadium in London, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
But Millwall aren’t the only team with repeated reports of discrimination sanctions, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur both have a history of fines of this nature.
West Ham have had several high profile instances over the last 15 years and received one of the largest fines for a match against Chelsea. In May 2025 the team was fined £120,000 for the homophobic chanting that was heard at their game in the previous March.
Tottenham were fined £75,000 for homophobic chanting at a game against Manchester United in 2024. Tottenham were also fined £26,000 by UEFA when individuals performed Nazi salutes towards the Frankfurt side in a match earlier this year. UEFA banned Spurs’ fans from attending the following away match.
It’s rarer that fans have to deal with the consequences themselves as they’re usually not identified, but this could be a more effective way to tackle discrimination at games.
What’s being done?
The frequency of sanctions has increased since 2023, when the FA made homophobic chanting a specific disciplinary offence.
The FA claim they are working hard to prevent incidents like this from repeating and working on how they deal with them when they happen. Their ‘A game free from discrimination’ strategy 2024-2028 emphasises the reporting of these incidents online and in person.
Millwall have made a statement in response to the fine, but have not spoken further on how they are tackling this re-occuring issue at their games, just encouraging fans ‘to report any discriminatory behaviour seen or heard on matchdays via the Club’s dedicated, Hear Hate, Don’t Hesitate helpline.’
The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed cases of the water-borne disease in parts of North-West and South-West London but are yet to identify a source.
