West Ham face two FA charges for crowd violence at Carling Cup tie with Millwall

13 January 2010 12:27
Millwall have been cleared of all charges however and both clubs have had charges of failing to prevent racist behaviour by fans declared as "not proven" by an disciplinary panel. [LNB]The FA's independent regulatory commission will decide West Ham's punishment on Friday after finding the club guilty of two charges: failure to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour, and failure to ensure their supporters did not enter the field of play. [LNB] Related ArticlesFernandes favourite to take over West HamWest Ham eye end of Icelandic liftWest Ham set for takeoverWest Ham ownership saga set for conclusionWest Ham Transfer TalkDerby County 1 Millwall 1 (Derby win 5-3 on pens)West Ham face a range of possible sanctions including being forced to play games behind closed doors and a heavy fine. [LNB]The violent clashes led to 64 arrests and the stabbing of a Millwall fan outside Upton Park, and there were pitch invasions during the match. [LNB]The FA said in a statement: "An independent regulatory commission last week heard charges issued as a result of the serious crowd disturbances in and around the West Ham United versus Millwall fixture at Upton Park on 25 August 2009. [LNB]"It was alleged that both clubs failed to ensure that their supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion. [LNB]"The independent regulatory commission, chaired by an independent QC, found West Ham United to be in breach of FA rules in the following respects: failure to ensure their supporters refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour; failure to ensure their supporters did not enter the field of play. [LNB]"The commission will reconvene this Friday (15 January) to consider the issue of sanctions. [LNB]"The commission found all charges against Millwall not proven. [LNB]"The FA will now await the full written reasons from the independent commission before making any further comment." [LNB]

Source: Telegraph