Let them come to Burnley - Correction
Since the below was published [click here], it’s been pointed out to me that the statement issued by Millwall FC and the Metropolitan Police specifically makes mention that Millwall fans will be banned reciprocally from the six home fixtures of the 'Category C' clubs. Hmm, yes it does, and I must admit this had slipped my mind. The statement reads, "It has been agreed that no 'away' supporters be allowed at each of the home / away fixtures."
If, then, as the above statement suggests, Burnley FC have merely had to go along with an imposed ban, I exonerate them, and apologise for my inaccuracy. I’m not quite clear how the Metropolitan Police’s jurisdiction stretches so far north, though. I’d have thought a decision on whether to ban away supporters from any particular game at Turf Moor could only be taken by the Lancashire Constabulary and Burnley FC. Are the Lancashire police enforcing the ban?
That said, the stock response received by Burnley supporters from the Football League [click here] tells us that, "The Chairman of Millwall has consulted the clubs concerned and arrangements will be reciprocated at the relevant 'away' fixtures." Does this mean Burnley were consulted and agreed to the banning of Millwall supporters from Turf Moor? If so, on what grounds did they make that decision? Or is the Football League mistaken when it tells us this?
Does anyone have a definitive version?
Regardless of this, I would still criticise Burnley FC for the speed with which they emphasised that Millwall fans
will be banned from Turf Moor. I understand they were the first of the six clubs to do so. By stating so quickly that
Millwall fans would in turn be banned, I do believe they made themselves look petty, and undermined their case that bans are wrong. On the very page that they announced the bans, they stated, "Burnley Football Club will insist that a ban on Millwall supporters is carried out at the reverse fixture at Turf Moor." Compare this with Portsmouth, whose official website stated, "The Pompey Chief Executive also revealed that he did not believe that two wrongs made a right when it came to the match at Fratton Park." I know which I prefer. I know that only one of them makes sense.
I would still like to see Burnley FC resisting both bans, making clear that both are equally wrong, and expressing their unhappiness over the imposition of both, if imposed they both have been. It might not achieve anything, but it would say something about the kind of welcoming, open-minded club we should try to be. Burnley FC stated that, "There are fans who have not missed games for many years and will want to keep that run going." That applies to Millwall supporters as well, surely.
Let them come to Burnley
The more I think of it, the more wrong I feel away fan bans to be. Both bans, that is.
It is, I think most of us would agree, quite wrong of Millwall to ban us from the Den. In receiving a blanket ban, our supporters are being singled out for unfair treatment, and apparently penalised for the misbehaviour of others. We are, it would seem, being punished for the fact that we have a large and loyal travelling support, and through this and this alone, represent an attractive target for the Millwall hooligans.
Burnley FC are to be praised for condemning the ban in public. Their acknowledgement of the particularly frustrating position this puts members of the London Clarets in will be welcomed in these parts too. Each of us who live down here face a difficult and dangerous decision on whether to get a home ticket under false pretexts so that we can watch our team play, if not give them our vocal support. Individually we will have to decide whether to do this, and consider the risks involved. Presumably if anyone was unlucky enough to land a conviction as a result of trying to avoid the bar, they would also receive a life ban from Turf Moor under the ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
Burnley FC have, however, got it very wrong in preventing Millwall supporters from coming to Turf Moor. They should continuing to highlight the injustice of our ban, and between now and March exert pressure for the ban to be reconsidered. But how can they do this while applying precisely the sort of ban they say is unfair? There is a complete absence of logic in this decision. You can’t say something is wrong, and then copy it. If it's wrong to ban Burnley from the New Den, it's wrong to ban Millwall from Turf Moor.
This is not to mention the public relations gaffe this represents. Presented with a PR tap in, Burnley FC have somehow contrived to score at the wrong end.
Burnley FC should think again and reverse their decision to ban Millwall supporters from Turf Moor. Where now they look petty, employing tit for tat measures, they should be presenting themselves as big-hearted. This is a great opportunity for Burnley FC to show that they’re a bigger, more far-sighted and friendlier club than Millwall, able to stage a game in which both sets of supporters can back their team. We should show that we have the interests of football as a whole at heart, and consider it to be a vital principle of league football that both home and away supporters be accommodated.
If Millwall get away with away bans now, who is to say it will not spread? Who is to say that we will not face further bans in future? Burnley FC should take a stance against this and reassure us that no club will ever receive a blanket ban from Turf Moor, because it means that innocent people are punished in the same way that we are being punished now.
At the same time as making this gesture, Burnley FC should continue to complain to the League and back its supporters' efforts to protest against the ban. But even if we remain banned and are not allowed to support our side in March, I still hope Millwall supporters are welcomed to Turf Moor. Anything else is a nonsense. I call upon Burnley FC to think again.
Firmo
June 2002
As with all articles on the site, the
views expressed in the comments section are those of the individual contributor, and do
not necessarily reflect the view of the Burnley FC London Supporters Club
