Millwall Need our Help

[mrhairy]

Please see Albion Roys post regarding the Sun Report. But so that it does not get lost amongst all the other replies, Millwall Press Office called me and asked that we go to the following sites and send emails to put down the stupid report in The Sun:

The Sun letters@the-sun.co.uk
Press Complaints Commission http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaint/complaintform.asp
The FA http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/ContactUs/

Millwall also did not realise that the "Sieg Heils" was us singing "Seagulls" and pointing to the pitch as we normally do. They are devestated by this and I told them that all of us on NSC had not experienced any problems and they have our support.

 

[Northstander]

The Sun get it wrong again!

 

[ManOnTheRun]

Mr H,

Is there a list of points that they want us to make? Or is it just a general rubbishing of the Sun's shoddy journalism that is required?

 

[Scarface]

The Sun is only good for the pictures! But even they arent always that great.

That said, I used to 'read' it every morning when I commuted to London but you can't really believe any of the stories in any tabloid (and most other newspapers).

 

[Stinky Kat]

The press just want to make football supporters into hooligans and bring the game down. Simple answer dont buy the Sun and e-mail their editor and tell as well as it being a comic his journo at our game on Saturday is calling 12000 people racist, when a high proportion of the 12000 are not

 

[The Great Cornholio]

I've just sent this to The Sun.

Dear Sir,

I am writing to say how appalled I am at the article in today's The Sun about "racism" at the Millwall v Brighton football match. I speak as a Brighton fan who attended the game with my mother. Whilst I cannot comment about any personal conversations that Mr Enisuoh may have had, I can certainly refute a lot of the allegations he has made. I believe that that main claim of chants of "Sieg heil" are completely erroneous. Brighton have for many years had a chant of "Seagulls" which is accompanied by hand pointing towards the pitch. Mr Enisuoh's earlier comment about Millwall fans outsinging the Brighton fans is completely untrue as it was Brighton fans who sung from start to finish with little response from the Millwall fans. This leads me to believe that it was the Seagulls chant that Mr Enisuoh heard. As for other claims about racist banners being unfurled as well as monkey chants and the like, I can categorically state that neither myself or my mother heard or saw such events, as seems to be the case with several hundred Brighton fans who are discussing this issue on an Internet messageboard.

There is still a minority of Millwall fans (about 100 in number) who position themselves very close to the away supporters and are very agressive in gestures and chanting. Mr Enisuoh seems to have completely ignored the constant homophobic chanting we had to endure (as is the case every week with Brighton's "reputation") but I can again categorically say that not one of the chants or gestures was in any way racist. As for the issuing of stewarding, it appears that 90% of the stewards inside the ground are black which may go a long way to showing the commitment of the Millwall board to stamping out racism.

In conclusion, the game on Saturday was the most hostile atmosphere I have experienced in quite a while but excellent crowd segregation meant that it was a very safe environment. Neither myself or well over 1000 Brighton supporters encountered the slightest trace of racism from anyone connected with Millwall football club. It looks as if they still have a problem to sort out with overly aggressive fans and I am certain that a large number of this aggsresive element still harbours racist feelings or beliefs. But, thanks to the efforts of Millwall Football Club abd it's stewarding, this was in no way in evidence last Saturday and I hope you will print either an apology and/or retraction of the allegations made by Mr Enisuoh in today's paper.






Shame my web mail doesn't have a spell check to compensate for my poor typing skills.

 

[BtonBelle]

If you want to contact Raymond Enishouh(editor of the article) then here is the link http://www.ethnicmedia.co.uk/contact_sub.asp?TID=7

 

[mrhairy]

Mr H,

Is there a list of points that they want us to make? Or is it just a general rubbishing of the Sun's shoddy journalism that is required?

Just a general email about how much damage can be done by this complete load of nonsense, and how inaccurate it is.

 

[Harold]

Sent today...

Dear Sir,

I was quite frankly dumbfounded to read the article by Raymond Enisuoh titled "Monkey chants and Sieg Heils". All I can say is what an absolute farcical (bordering on fictional) depiction of Saturdays events at the Millwall home game against (my team) Brighton and Hove Albion. I could make no correlation whatsoever regarding the events he described to my own experience on that day. Admittedly I was not located where Raymond was in the ground (obviously I was in the away end) however I can categorically state that I saw no evidence of racial abuse at any time inside or outside the ground. I have spoken to other Brighton fans today and like me they saw no racist banner unfurled. Believe me if we had, it would be the talk of our own fans. If anything came close to a chant of "Sieg Heil" then it would indeed have been our own fans trademark "Seagulls" chant (the clue is in our nickname and club badge) which is usually accompanied by fingers pointing at our own team.

Also, the documented booing during Barry Hayles substitution was merely the home fans displeasure at their manager for removing a player from the fray who was playing very well (as was obvious at the time and confirmed with a Millwall fan today that I work with).

I would also like to comment on two totally incorrect points. The "heavy Police presence" commented on was nothing of the sort, it appeared to me to be no different to any Championship game. Also, the claim that Millwall fans outsung our own is odd as they were very, very quiet indeed. Whilst own fans kept the noise level up throughout (as away fans of any club are always known for doing because they are the hard-core supporters who travel everywhere).

On the subject of chanting I will admit that the game was full of stereotype driven banter between the fans (i.e. us for being as camp as a row of tents and being somewhere without our boyfriends knowledge, them for having no central heating and living in a salubrious area). All very tongue in cheek, adapted and played out similarly up and down the country every week.

I have watched the Albion since 1975 and visited Millwall many, many times (both the old ground at Cold Blow Lane and their current ground). In my opinion that club has have made fantastic strides in sorting out well documented problems both inside and outside of their ground. Not only because events and relevant authorities have demanded change, but of their own volition. The matchday experience on my last three visits has improved immeasurably, the sense of foreboding is now based on past reputation alone and does not stand up to close scrutiny during a real visit.

I get the impression that sending two representatives (journalist and photographer) to a game and then see them come home empty handed simply did not suit the planned article, especially after the FA charge last week. I hope I'm wrong and a lot was a result of Raymond's ignorance of football in general. Don't get me wrong, no club is perfect, but from what I see and read, all are working on the particular problems they have. I'm not saying Millwall or any other club have solved them all or can rest on their laurels, all I can say is in my opinion there was no evidence that day of what was published in the article from where I was sitting.

All that has happened is that readers may have been put off venturing to a game in the future, played by a club that has done more than most to address the problems that blight the matchday experience.

Yours Sincerely,

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

Excellent stuff Harold. Nice one.

 

[Curious Orange]

Very well put Harold, I've been telling anyone within earshot what rubbish that article is.

 

[Seagullsgonnagetya]

What has then Sun ever known about football fans...'Sieg Heils'...or Seagulls sounds the same to some hack looking for a sensational headline...to a fan its bloody obvious. Bad judgement/understanding/incompetance and all the rest again from the gutter rag that I for one have never understood the attraction of....boycot it It deserves no place in a civilised world and should have been given a leathal injection following its quality Hillsborough coverage.

Rant over

 

[Seagulltonian]

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Just sent this. But you have to send a copy of the offending article to the PCC in order for them to take any action. Red tape or what?



Sir,

I must write, as a journalist myself, to complain about the inaccurate, biased and wholly damaging reporting by Raymond Enishouh in today's Sun newspaper concerning the Millwall v Brighton football match on Saturday. He has clearly broken Section One of the PCC's Code of Practice.

It seems this journalist had a headline in mind when he went to Millwall's ground, and wrote a story to fit. I am a Brighton supporter living in SE London, and I know the great efforts that Millwall FC have made to irradicate racism from their football club.

Brighton fans chant "SEAGULLS" (the club's nickname) throughout all games, and as with all football clubs, throw their arms forward when chanting. It's what happens at football matches, a vain effort to propel your singing onto the pitch and spur your team on. The "Sieg Heils" to which the reporter says came from Millwall fans were in fact "Seagulls" chants coming from Brighton fans. Does this so-called sports editor actually know anything about football?

He claims Millwall fans booed when one of their black players was substituted - in fact, if he hadn't been so quick to jump to wrong conclusions, he would have realised that the Millwall supporters were booing their manager for substituting one the team's best players.

The report is full of inaccuracies such as these. Such ill-researched and subjective journalism, published in a newspaper such as the Sun, does Millwall Football Club, south east London and the country in general much harm and will do a great deal of damage to race relations in this country.

I urge the PCC to discipline The Sun newspaper accordingly.

 

[GlasgowWall]

You guys are absolute legends. Thanks for all your help!

 

[See-Goals]

Just read the full article posted on the other Millwall thread. It speaks for itself, the guy had the article in his head before he pushed himself through the turnstiles.

I have to agree with Glasgow Wall and applaud the quality and genuine concern for another club some of you have taken the time to show today by writing letters.

We have some truly fantastic fans

 

[Northstander]

I wait in vain to hear "The Suns" comment!!

Anyone got the email address to "Your on Sky Sports?" Already sent strongly worded but POLITE letter to the sun asking where the reporter got his facts from?

Unbelievable!

 

[attila]

The Sun has always been a toilet accessory masqerading as a newspaper.
But this piece of cretinous nonsense is beyond belief and reads like something out of a Monty Python script.

We Brighton fans sing ‘Seagulls’ because it’s our club’s nickname. We wave our hands in a forward motion as we do so. That anybody could mistake us for Millwall fans is unbelievable enough (given that we were singing things like ‘We are Brighton’ and ‘Good Old Sussex By The Sea’) That the same person could mishear our Seagulls chant as ‘Sieg Heil’ and mistake our waving for Nazi salutes is nothing short of lobotomised!

To then turn this nonsense into an attack on Millwall FC and its fans is not simply unjust, it’s completely stupid and counterproductive. . Millwall FC has/ has had a problem with violence and racism and it is widely acknowledged that the club is doing its very best to tackle it. Such unfounded, idiotic garbage is an insult to all the people working towards this end and is an insult to football fans in general. And coming from a ‘newspaper’ with a deserved reputation for xenophobia, warmongering and brainless nationalism (‘Gotcha!’)
it is also breathtakingly hypocritical.

It’s time The Sun set for good.
Pres Complaints Authority - DO YOUR JOB!

John Baine

 

[Wardy]

Just sent this

I am writing in response to the article in todays paper about the so called racial chants and behavior at Saturdays game at the New Den. I can only think that Raymond Enisuoh went to this game having already decided what he was going to write. Then when he found that this was not the case he was forced to result to writing what can only be seen as a work of fiction. The sad thing about this is it comes at a time when it will do most damage not only to Millwall Football Club, but football in general.

I have been a Brighton fan for a number of years and have been to see us play Millwall both home and away a number of times. I would be lying if I did not say that in the past a visit to Millwill was not always a pleasant day out. However in the last few years this is no longer the case. This is due to the work that the club have put in, not only within the ground but also in the area around the ground. This work is not limited to match days but is ongoing and the club are active each and every day.

The Millwall of past is long gone. This Saturday I saw people from all ages, all enjoying their day out watching their team. Though siting in the away end I saw none of the incidents that Mr Enisuoh reports. I can only assume that he chose to interpret our shouts of "Seagulls!", a shout that is associated with our nickname and is accompanied by us pointing at the pitch. I recall us doing this when one of our black players one a free kick near the corner flag, but we normally do it at set pieces and when we are on the attack.

I feel that you do yourselves, the Kick Racism out of Football campaign and Millwall and Brighton football clubs a great deal of damage by printing this story without first checking it out. I hope to read another article in tomorrows paper where you distance yourself from Mr Enisuoh and what he dreamed while at football Saturday.

 

[Wardy]

I Anyone got the email address to "Your on Sky Sports?"

is it youron@skysports.com ?