FA launches investigation into fans who booed players taking the knee
An investigation has been launched into two football games where fans booed at players who took the knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, the FA has announced.
The Football Association said they were investigating "crowd-related incidents at both The Den and JobServe Community Stadium".
The long-awaited return of supporters to football games due to the Covid-19 pandemic was overshadowed by Saturday's events.
Some 2,000 home fans were allowed to return to The Den to watch Millwall vs Derby.
When players from both teams took the knee in support of BLM they were roundly booed by some members of the crowd.
A similar incident occurred at the JobServe Community Stadium when Colchester hosted Grimsby in League Two and claimed a 2-1 win.
Before the 5.30pm kick-off got under way on Saturday in front of a crowd of close to 1,000 fans, both sets of players took a knee and a small section of those in attendance booed.
The actions have been condemned by the management of both clubs and by ministers in the government
Colchester owner Robbie Cowling has told fans who want to boo players taking the knee they are not welcome at the club.
Millwall said they were "dismayed and saddened" by the events.
The Professional Footballers’ Association described it as “a sad indictment of the lack of understanding and empathy for the players’ fight against racism and discrimination”.
Foreign office minister James Cleverly added the government’s voice to the criticism.
Mr Cleverly told BBC Breakfast: “The footballers clearly wanted to demonstrate solidarity with people who had either been victims of racism or fighting against racism, I think that’s a noble thing for them to do.
"Ultimately what those fans did was wrong.”
The FA said all parties involved would have until December 10 to provide their response.