Millwall fans refused entry - Complaint upheld

[The FSF]

Hi Amanda, could you tell me how the ticket office were aware these lads were Milwall fans? Just curious.

See my replies to Meesh, all is explained!

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Thanks for taking time to address my post on a City forum,call me old school or whatever,but since I was a youngster there has always been a dislike,(on both sides),between City and Millwall,even to the fact that both sets of fans were once banned from visiting each others grounds,not something that happens in this country very often,I'm sure you agree ?

Albeit this was many years ago,maybe this is a case of some things never forgotten,but I could probably vouch for most City fans,that if they were ever stuck in London with nothing to do,a visit to The Den would probably be the least desired of their destinations to visit.and therefore is my questioning of why these guys wanted to visit Manchester City really.

It maybe is ironic that this dispute at City,was because it was Millwall fans,and therefore it has made headlines,but tell me how it came to light at the ticket office,that they were followers of Millwall ?

I am not condoning the action of the ticket office at City,we know what they are like as an operation,but I'm still scratching my head as to how it became known that's all

Why would followers of s 3rd flight side, stuck looking for something to do and not wanting to waste a 400 mile round trip, want to go and watch a premier league match at a new stadium? Hmm, maybe because they're football fans?

I doubt City fans would go to Orient or Brentford either, so the New Den comment is rhetoric rather than sound comparison.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

It become known that the group are Millwall because during general chit chat when buying the tickets, one of the group said something to the effect of "lucky we can get tickets here after our game was called off, our day isn't wasted". You were at home. Had you been away and MUFC were at home, then no doubt the group would have gone there. They just wanted to watch a game of football and were genuinely pleased to have an opportunity to visit the Etihad. I take your point about the history between your two clubs but equally, while I accept it's very unlikely, do you accept that there will be some City fans who could go to Old Trafford without causing a problem there? If the starting point is fans from rival clubs can't attend another ground without being a problem, isn't that a little depressing and just reinforces the notion that some have, which is all fans have the potential to be a problem, when that isn't the case at all?

A lot of fans wouldn't dream of going to another club when they have time on their hands but some just love football and would go anywhere to watch it. And a personal anecdote.. we support West Ham and our two young nephews are Chelsea fans. We've taken them to Stamford Bridge a couple of times and behaved, because we know how too, as do more people than don't.

hear hear.

 

[meeesh]

It become known that the group are Millwall because during general chit chat when buying the tickets, one of the group said something to the effect of "lucky we can get tickets here after our game was called off, our day isn't wasted". You were at home. Had you been away and MUFC were at home, then no doubt the group would have gone there. They just wanted to watch a game of football and were genuinely pleased to have an opportunity to visit the Etihad. I take your point about the history between your two clubs but equally, while I accept it's very unlikely, do you accept that there will be some City fans who could go to Old Trafford without causing a problem there? If the starting point is fans from rival clubs can't attend another ground without being a problem, isn't that a little depressing and just reinforces the notion that some have, which is all fans have the potential to be a problem, when that isn't the case at all?

A lot of fans wouldn't dream of going to another club when they have time on their hands but some just love football and would go anywhere to watch it. And a personal anecdote.. we support West Ham and our two young nephews are Chelsea fans. We've taken them to Stamford Bridge a couple of times and behaved, because we know how too, as do more people than don't.

It's just a pity that this happened to them,and a bigger pity that they chose to go to City,I have looked at other local fixtures that were on that day,Bury v Chesterfield being the closest to where they were,then Wigan v Blackpool,or Huddersfield v Bristol City,not the most "appealing" of games to go to I admit,but still something not to waste their day I'm sure you would agree.

Again for your future reference,not many if at all ANY would go to Old Trafford to watch a match,the good old days of the sixties are well and truly behind us were fans used to go to City one week,Utd the next,I'm afraid to say,so to answer that question you asked,yes it's depressing,but reality.

Yes we were at home,and (if this is the point you are trying to make to me) it would have been easier to get a ticket at City than United,so that point cannot come into the equation really,they would have not got one at Old Trafford

Yes most people are well behaved,and you have won your case on behalf of the Millwall fans,so surely you are satisfied with the outcome,but the big question is are your complainants,and if so its case closed and we move on ?

 

[meeesh]

Why would followers of s 3rd flight side, stuck looking for something to do and not wanting to waste a 400 mile round trip, want to go and watch a premier league match at a new stadium? Hmm, maybe because they're football fans?

I doubt City fans would go to Orient or Brentford either, so the New Den comment is rhetoric rather than sound comparison.

My conversation isn't with you,so your chipping in again why ?

 

[Dubai Blue]

Albeit this was many years ago,maybe this is a case of some things never forgotten,but I could probably vouch for most City fans,that if they were ever stuck in London with nothing to do,a visit to The Den would probably be the least desired of their destinations to visit.and therefore is my questioning of why these guys wanted to visit Manchester City really.

If Millwall were in the Premier League and playing in a gleaming 50,000-seater stadium, I'd have no hesitation going there to watch a match if I was stuck for something to do in London.

If you asked any Millwall supporter to name the 10 teams they dislike the most, I'd be surprised if City featured on any of their lists. They used to cause grief everywhere they went back in the day; it doesn't really make us "rivals" nearly 20 years later.

 

[meeesh]

If Millwall were in the Premier League and playing in a gleaming 50,000-seater stadium, I'd have no hesitation going there to watch a match if I was stuck for something to do in London.

If you asked any Millwall supporter to name the 10 teams they dislike the most, I'd be surprised if City featured on any of their lists. They used to cause grief everywhere they went back in the day; it doesn't really make us "rivals" nearly 20 years later.

Oh Jesus,is this a let's prove meeesh wrong day,I'm speaking on behalf of myself then,not others,although a lot will agree with me,we wouldn't be in the top ten hated by them ?....................yea OK lad

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

think the club are right to refuse entrance to whoever they like, especially Millwall fans.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

Christ, I wish the club had refused me entry that day.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

My conversation isn't with you,so your chipping in again why ?

This is an open forum, and I believe you're making poor comparisons with a neutral arbiter.

I believe they had train tickets, so Wigan and Huddersfield particularly wouldn't be sane options. Bury/Chesterfield or Premier League City near the railway station? tough call....

I want City as a club to be known as open and welcoming, not narrowminded and petty. This makes City look the latter.

 

[meeesh]

This is an open forum, and I believe you're making poor comparisons with a neutral arbiter.

I believe they had train tickets, so Wigan and Huddersfield particularly wouldn't be sane options. Bury/Chesterfield or Premier League City near the railway station? tough call....

I want City as a club to be known as open and welcoming, not narrowminded and petty. This makes City look the latter.

Fair enough,well what we can do then as a club,is when they have chosen their match to come to with the complimentary tickets,bring them on at half time,and we can all give them a round of applause for taking on our club and winning,you think they will get one .......tough call as you put it

 

[mrtwiceaseason]

Couple of points didn't think we did match day ticket sales .and you would have thought they would have needed city membership or previous history to be able to buy ?

 

[Danny Hoekman]

Christ, I wish the club had refused me entry that day.

Was just about to post this! A dire game. My view is that it was and is a very small minded attitude to refuse entry to neutrals who just wanted to watch a game.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Fair enough,well what we can do then as a club,is when they have chosen their match to come to with the complimentary tickets,bring them on at half time,and we can all give them a round of applause for taking on our club and winning,you think they will get one .......tough call as you put it

Strange response, but that straw man is well and truly burned by that argument.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

An interesting debate, although some posters appear to be stuck in a late 90s mindset, when let’s face it, we were supporting a completely different Manchester City, with a completely different image.

I attended the infamous game in 1998 when Lee Bradbury equalized in the last minute. However, i also attended the bruising FA Cup Tie at Ninian Park in 1994, and was expecting similar violence when City played at Cardiff in 2013.
How wrong I was?
Different Cardiff, different stadium, different atmosphere.

Historically, the notorious games have usually been FA Cup ties, promotion/relegation deciders, or lower division encounters when a team from a larger city has travelled to a close-knit provincial town.
Four Millwall fans looking for a game in Manchester shouldn’t really be a problem.

Similarly, I attended a couple of Everton games as a neutral last season. They all knew that I was a City fan, but nobody hassled me. If anything, they were curious about how I perceived them, rather than looking for confrontation.

Mind you, I can also speak a full sentence without being aggressive which always helps, no matter who you support.

 

[manchester blue]

I've been to Old Trafford as a neutral (well not quite) but I went for a day out with four mates, two blue, two red. They've also come to City. When we went to Old Trafford I left twenty minutes to the end to get to town to watch City's 5:30pm ko.

I would have been pretty annoyed if I was refused entry because I happened to say I was a City fan to a club representative. It was a great day, they lost and we took a step towards winning the PL at Everton.

I guess some people, inclusing staff at City, have differing mindsets towards fans of other clubs despite their backgrounds and appearance which is a shame.

 

[trevorriley]

millwall fans.. cant be trusted..
police advice... cant be trusted..

Sounds like a right one..

Can see a situation where ticket office would then send complimentary tickets to them in the family stand sat behind a guy with his wife and two kids under 10 !

 

[Manchester33]

I think a few people need to take their blue-tinted spectacles off. City's ticket office fucked up and not for the first time. If they want this 'welcoming' image to continue they need to review policies and make City a more accessible club. I know that game wasn't a brilliant example as it was dull as anything, a set of old Millwall fans probably aren't the best audience, but who's to say they wouldn't have spent £100+ on tickets, £25+ on food/beer and another £100 on merchandise. It could have been an enthralling game, they could have really taken a shine to us and decided to watch us play the next time we can't sell out a game in London etc.

We're not little old City anymore. The club needs to reflect that in every area of the business.

 

[peoffrey]

I've been to Millwall. Both a home game with a former colleague (a professional in the Square Mile) and as an away fan with my beloved Hereford. With the latter, we couldn't get a drink anywhere near the ground so we used a London Bridge pub before getting the train in. Great atmosphere. They make some serious noise there.

 

[john@staustell]

I'd just like to say I went to Millwall once as a neutral to watch a match. I thoroughly enjoyed it and they should be able to come to City.