Millwall have officially been charged by the Football Association (FA) for the conduct of their fans – or lack thereof – in the chaotic FA Cup fifth-round fixture against Crystal Palace on March 1.
Palace came away with a comfortable 3-1 win in the end, but their success wasn’t without casualties in a game littered with troubling incidents on and off the pitch.
The most disturbing of them all came when Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts sent Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta to the hospital with a tackle that has no place in football.
The Frenchman had to be hurled off on a stretcher after receiving on-field medical attention for nearly ten minutes before heading straight to the infirmary.
Roberts was banned for six games following the horrendous tackle, but Millwall are not off the hook yet.
In a statement released on Thursday, the FA confirmed that Millwall have been charged with “misconduct in relation to crowd control.”
Millwall are accused of failing to “ensure its supporters conduct themselves in an orderly fashion”, and have been given a deadline of April 16 to respond to the allegations.
The FA’s statement points to incidents that occurred in the 5th and 20th minutes of the game.
The first incident in question came merely a minute after Mateta was floored by Roberts.
Millwall fans were reportedly heard chanting “Let him die” towards Mateta, but the FA didn’t put much effort into that investigation as it falls outside their purview.
However, Millwall got in trouble for homophobic abuse aimed at Palace defender Ben Chilwell, who is on loan from Chelsea.
Chants of “Chelsea rent boy” were allegedly directed at the 28-year-old, who was making his first full appearance for Palace since joining in the January transfer window.
The FA’s disciplinary process is ongoing, and further action may follow depending on the club’s response.
While Millwall are left nervously awaiting their fate, Palace will be looking forward to a crunch semi-final against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.
