This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/12/millwall-leeds-el-hadji-diouf

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Millwall reopen investigation of racist abuse of Leeds' El Hadji Diouf FA investigate reports of Millwall fans' racism against El Hadji Diouf
(about 5 hours later)
Millwall have said they are "appalled" by footage that arose on Monday night that appears to show their supporters aiming racial abuse at El Hadji Diouf. The Football Association has contacted Leeds United to ask for El-Hadji Diouf's version of events as part of an investigation into footage which showed the striker being racially abused during a match at Millwall in November.
Sky Sports News aired clips that seemed to show the Leeds United forward and Senegal international Diouf being abused during a game between the two clubs at the Den on 18 November. Millwall have also reopened an investigation into the incident, saying they are "appalled" by footage shown on Sky Sports News on Monday night.
"Like all Millwall fans and football fans generally, we're appalled by the footage we've seen," said the Millwall chief executive, Andy Ambler. "Clearly that behaviour is unacceptable in any football ground in the country and at Millwall we will ban the individuals for life and we hope that Sky will pass the footage to the police so that further action can be taken. The film appeared to show the Senegal international alerting the referee, Mark Halsey, and making stewards aware of his allegations but Millwall insisted no complaint of racist abuse was made by the player at the time. The FA is now investigating the footage – and not just the incident with Diouf. It is understood Leeds have provided the governing body with the Senegal striker's version of what happened.
"Sadly racism exists in our society and certain individuals want to bring it into football grounds. It's down to us in football do to more. We think football is the solution to the problem and the work that we do will continue and we need to continue it. An FA statement said: "We were concerned by the video footage and we have requested a copy for our full consideration. We will work with all the relevant authorities including the police to investigate fully."
"That day against Leeds obviously there was an allegation of abuse made online initially. We investigated it straight away. We interviewed stewards, police, players, we looked at the TV footage too as it was live on Sky. After speaking to the player who had the alleged abuse at him during the day, he said that he heard no abuse on the day so that was basically at that point it was the end of the investigation – although we're going to open it again now." The FA also urged anyone "subject to or witness to racial abuse" to report it. The Football League chairman Greg Clarke and FA independent board member Heather Rabbatts have both stressed the need for players to be given the support to report incidents of racist abuse. Clarke admitted something in the game may be "terribly wrong" if black players felt unable to do so.
The Bolton Wanderers forward Marvin Sordell has previously made allegations of racial abuse about Millwall's fans. In the wake of him doing so, a banner claiming "Sordell is a c***" was unfurled at a later game, while a 13-year-old boy was banned from the ground. Clarke, who was at the match in question, told Sky Sports News: "To have our players subjected to such vile and filthy abuse deserves nothing more than the culprits being arrested and facing the full weight of the law.
Sordell, who represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, has faced racial abuse on social media websites and claims he is not shocked that such things still occur. He said: "We're a developed, multicultural society. It's surprising it can still go on – but it doesn't exactly shock me. "There's two issues, one is we have to continue to work with the clubs on our anti-racism programmes which are agreed with the FA. Secondly is the reticence of black players to come forward and feel comfortable in supporting it.
"We can't be silent about it. We need to make people aware that there is a problem going on and only when people are aware of the problem can it be sorted out. As long as people are brave enough I'd say to come out and say exactly what's happened to them then I think we'll be going in the right direction because the first thing that needs to happen is that we can't be silent about it." "If we've created an environment that doesn't support black players in confronting this issue we've done something terribly wrong. We've got to wrap ourselves around our black players and give them our support to report such episodes and then deal with such episodes extremely severely."
The 21-year-old admitted abuse can inspire him, adding: "Sometimes it gives me that bit more fire to prove people wrong and that I can rise above it." Meanwhile, Rabbatts, who coincidentally is a former deputy chief executive of Millwall, said the governing body had to take note of what happened at the Den. Rabbatts said: "It's the responsibility of all of us involved in the game that where those incidents take place they are reported so that we can take action. It is a real concern that many feel they cannot report such abuse.
David Bernstein, the FA chairman, is treating the allegations with the utmost importance, telling Sky Sports News: "These issues bother me intensely. They have become top of my agenda in terms of moving these things on and combating these things. The awareness of it could not be higher." However, the Reading striker Jason Roberts was dismissive of the FA's recent action plan to deal with racism.
He told Sky Sports News: "We need to do better. We need to have proper zero tolerance to it when these things happen. We need to hit the offending clubs or individuals hard. It is also about representation, about having ethnic minorities throughout the game.
"The FA has come up with a 92-point plan but nothing in that plan that makes me think we are going to change this situation. When I go out on the football pitch I don't want to be subjected to that kind of abuse. Get CCTV cameras working properly, get the police and stewards doing their jobs properly."
Millwall's captain Danny Shittu said he was "deeply saddened" by the Sky Sports News documentary. "As the current Millwall captain, racism is something I do not stand for or condone. I am currently in talks with the club about any further measures we can take in dealing with and eradicating racism at matches," he said.
"Like all Millwall fans and football fans generally, we're appalled by the footage we've seen," said the Millwall chief executive, Andy Ambler. "Clearly that behaviour is unacceptable in any football ground in the country and at Millwall we will ban the individuals for life and we hope that Sky will pass the footage to the police so that further action can be taken."