Millwall and Colchester will face NO PUNISHMENT from the FA over fans booing players taking the knee

The FA have announced they will be taking no disciplinary action against Millwall and Colchester after some of their supporters booed players taking the knee.

Millwall’s fans were the first to jeer the gesture at a home game against Derby at the Den on December 5, prompting the club to say they were ‘dismayed and saddened’ by what had happened.

Boos were also heard in Colchester’s win over Grimsby in League Two on the same day, but now the governing body say that no punishment will be dished out to the clubs because they do ‘not see taking the knee as a political symbol’ – despite its links to the Black Lives Matter movement.

A statement from the FA read: ‘The FA has conducted full and thorough investigations into the crowd-related incidents that took place at both The Den and JobServe Community Stadium on Saturday 5 December 2020.

‘Having carefully considered these matters, including the observations from all relevant parties, we can confirm that no formal disciplinary action will be taken against the clubs concerned on this occasion…. 

‘However, The FA would like to further clarify that anyone who chooses to take the knee will continue to receive our support as they highlight the inequality and injustice experienced by the Black community.

‘To be clear, we do not see taking the knee as a political symbol, and would contend that there can now be no doubt as to what the gesture means in a footballing context. 

‘Therefore, The FA will continue to monitor and investigate should similar crowd-related incidents occur.

‘The FA continues to support all players and clubs that wish to take a stand against any form of discrimination, and will always condemn the behaviours of anyone that chooses to actively oppose these values.’

The news comes hours after a survey carried out by the Professional Footballers’ Association showed overwhelming support from players to continue taking a knee.

The results of the survey – which was sent to all Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and Women’s Super League (WSL) squads – determined that players ‘support continuing this act of solidarity despite any adverse responses that may be received’.

The PFA confirmed that more than 400 players responded to the five-question survey and around 80 per cent expressed their support for continuing the gesture before referees blow their whistles to start the game.

The return of fans to stadiums this month has seen many controversies regarding the taking of the knee come to the fore.

After the controversy against Derby, Millwall decided that in their next match against QPR that both sets of players should stand arm-in-arm instead.

However, during the match, QPR players Ilias Chair and Bright Osayi-Samuel took the knee and raised their arms to celebrate scoring against Millwall.

On Tuesday this week, Cambridge United manager Mark Bonner hit out at the ‘disgusting’ behaviour of fans who jeered the gesture before their League Two win over Colchester at the Abbey Stadium.

There was also another incident of booing at Exeter City’s home ground after the return of fans to stadiums in the past month too.

The gesture of taking the knee before matches became widespread in the wake of the killing of black man George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer in May.

Floyd’s shocking death sparked Black Lives Matter protests around the world, and while many see the act of taking the knee as a symbol of anti-racism, some football fans have questioned its links to BLM, which in the UK has become associated with the toppling of statues and far-left political beliefs.

An example came when, in the wake of the backlash against the Millwall booing, Environment Secretary George Eustice called BLM a ‘political movement,’ that doesn’t reflect ‘what most of us believe’.