The 2009 Upton Park riot occurred in and around West Ham United's Boleyn Ground, in Upton Park before, during and after a Football League Cup second round match between West Ham and Millwall on 25 August 2009. The match was won by the home side 3–1 after extra time, but the game was marred by pitch invasions and disorder in the streets outside the ground, where a Millwall supporter was stabbed. The disturbances were met with condemnation by the Football Association, the British government and the two clubs involved. The incident led to fears of a return of the hooliganism that had tarnished the reputation of English football in the 1970s and 80s. There were also concerns that it could have a negative effect on England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup - which was rejected in favour of the bid from Russia more than a year later.
Background
Millwall and West Ham United have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to the clubs' first meeting, a friendly on 23 September 1897. The rivalry stems from the two clubs geographical proximity to one another – their home grounds at the time (The Den and the Boleyn Ground) were apart – and over the years, there have been several instances of violence between some fans of the two clubs. However, these occurrences had subsided in recent years as the clubs have played in different divisions for most of the time since the 1950s. West Ham, for instance, have been members of the top flight for all but a few seasons since 1958, whereas Millwall only played in the top flight for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 and have at times competed in the third and even fourth tiers of the English league.
Prior to the match, there had been 96 encounters between Millwall and West Ham, of which Millwall had won 38, West Ham 32, and 26 were drawn. The previous tie was a Football League Championship game played on 16 April 2005 at the Boleyn Ground, which ended 1–1.
Hooliganism was rife at most English football grounds in the 1970s and 80s, and many clubs were forced into installing fencing around the perimeter of the pitch. Millwall's hooligan firm, the Millwall Bushwackers, was perceived as one of the most violent, so much so that a common weapon used in such occurrences became known as a Millwall brick. In March 1985, a large section of the club's hooligans were involved in a riot with Luton Town's firm the MIGs; of the 31 men arrested, many were found to be supporters of other London clubs such as West Ham and Chelsea. West Ham United have also been in receipt of bad publicity for their Inter City Firm, which received international notoriety after the release of the 1989 film The Firm and the 2005 film Green Street.
The draw for the second round of the 2009–10 Football League Cup took place on 12 August 2009, and paired West Ham and Millwall together for their first ever League Cup meeting. The police cut the number of tickets given to travelling Millwall fans from 3,000 to 1,500, sparking anger among supporters; Millwall warned police of a higher probability of trouble because of this.
Match
Summary
Beset by injuries, Millwall could only name four substitutes for the game. They took the lead through long-serving striker Neil Harris in the 26th minute of the match, firing past goalkeeper Robert Green after the West Ham defenders had failed to clear a long throw-in from Scott Barron. The Lions held the lead until three minutes from full-time, when Junior Stanislas equalised for West Ham. Stanislas' goal sparked a pitch invasion, and although players pleaded with the home fans to return to the stands, the resumption of the match was still delayed by several minutes. With the score at 1–1, the match went into extra time. In the eighth minute of extra time, Millwall defender Andy Frampton was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area and referee Paul Taylor awarded West Ham a penalty kick. Stanislas converted the penalty, and home fans invaded the pitch again, prompting the Millwall players to retreat to the dressing room. They eventually returned to complete the match, with Zavon Hines adding a third, making the final score 3–1 to West Ham.