Millwall fined for abusive disability chanting

Millwall have been fined £45,000 by the Football Association for abusive chanting which included a reference to disability during their Carabao Cup tie with Crystal Palace.

The Lions admitted the charge in relation to a chant in the 11th minute of the match on 16 September, which saw Palace win 4-2 on penalties after the game ended 1-1.

They were also charged for a chant in the 80th minute of the match but denied this and an independent regulatory commission was unable to prove the charge.

This is the third breach by the Championship club in the past three years and they also had an action plan previously imposed on them extended by another season to the end of 2026-27.

“This chant goes against everything the club stands for and is wholeheartedly condemned,” a Millwall statement said.

Millwall were sanctioned in October 2023 following abuse with “express or implied reference to religion” towards James McClean while he was playing for Wigan.

They were then fined £15,000 in June last year for homophobic chants aimed at Crystal Palace left-back Ben Chilwell during their FA Cup tie in March 2025.

Both times they had an action plan imposed with the aim of ensuring incidents did not occur again and making it a more inclusive club.

The written reasons provided by the FA acknowledged that Millwall’s previous disciplinary record is “very poor and a matter for serious concern”.

The game with Millwall’s Premier League south London rivals was described as “high-risk” by the club, however the commission found not all steps had been taken on the day to comply with their action plan.

The chanting in the 11th minute of the game at Selhurst Park was described as “substantial” although no supporters have been identified as being involved, and as such sanctioned, since.

The FA called for a partial or full stadium closure because of the rule breach for a third time.

It said anything less “would fail to adequately address the seriousness of the club’s repeated breaches of FA Rule E 21 or serve as a sufficient deterrent in respect of discriminatory behaviour by supporters/spectators”.

Yet the committee acknowledged that Millwall had taken steps to meet its action plan.