Fans at Millwall vs Derby on Saturday booed as players took knee before kick-off in support of fight against racial injustice; Millwall ‘dismayed and saddened’ by incident; Rooney: “I witnessed disgraceful and mindless behaviour by a large section of the Millwall supporters.”
Derby interim boss Wayne Rooney has described the booing by fans as players took a knee before Millwall vs Derby on Saturday as “disgraceful and mindless”.
Rooney’s team won the game 1-0, but the post-match focus was very much on the supporters’ actions, with the FA, EFL and anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out all releasing statements in the aftermath of the match condemning the incident.
Millwall also released a statement on Sunday morning to say they were “dismayed and saddened by events” and remain committed to being at the “forefront of football’s anti-discrimination efforts”. Players, officials and staff at Premier League and EFL games have been taking a knee before kick-off since football restarted in June in order to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement for racial equality.
Posting on Twitter, Rooney said: “Yesterday I witnessed disgraceful and mindless behaviour by a large section of the Millwall supporters in the stadium. “Prior to the match we were aware of the possibility of a planned disruptive response during the taking of the knee in support of the BLM campaign, but nothing prepared us for what we heard.
“I was proud of my players and staff for not letting the fans deter them from continuing to present a positive and important message that taking the knee immediately before a game sends. The professionalism of the players on both sides throughout the game was a credit to our profession, after such an incident.
“On behalf of Derby County Football Club I want it to be clear to everyone associated with the club that we represent all sectors of our community regardless of colour, gender or sexuality. Fans being allowed back in to stadiums is vital for the wellbeing of everybody involved in our sport from fans to players to chairmen and owners. “It is therefore really important that the vast majority of us show respect and support of each other and do not tolerate or accept the actions of the mindless few.”
