Millwall Football Club in London is considering legal action after an illustration of the club’s badge on a Ku Klux Klan outfit appeared in a children’s education booklet distributed in schools.
The image appeared in a booklet called The Paul Canoville Story, about the first black footballer to play for Chelsea, written by Peter Daniel, an education and interpretation officer at Westminster City Council.
One of the pages depicts Millwall’s club badge on a KKK figure, next to a picture of Canoville and a speech bubble that reads: “Racism never went away. I was badly abused in a reserve match at Millwall, but then I could show the racists my 1984 Second Division champions medal.”
Millwall currently play in the Championship, England’s second tier, but are challenging for promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history. The club did have a spell in the top-flight from 1988-90, before the creation of the Premier League, and also featured in the 2004 FA Cup final.
A statement issued via the Millwall Supporters’ Club said: “The club has received a full apology from Westminster Council following their serious misuse of a registered club badge, which was placed on an illustration of a white supremacist hate group member in a children’s education booklet distributed in schools, creating a false and damaging image of the club.
“The council have confirmed no more copies of the image with the club’s logo will be made or distributed by them and all remaining material in their possession will be destroyed.
“The club is still considering its legal position on the matter and are unable to comment further.”
The image was found inside an education booklet distributed in schools
A Millwall source told the Daily Telegraph the club were “furious” after working tirelessly for years to shake off their reputation for being a home to racist and hooligan supporters.
“We do so much work in EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] and to have the club depicted that way to young people is outrageous,” the source added.
A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: “We accept the use of this image was an insensitive way to illustrate the problem of racism within football. We have apologised to Millwall Football Club for the improper use of their logo and for any offence caused.
“The booklet has been removed from circulation, and we are reviewing processes to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
The council has previously worked with the Paul Canoville Foundation, which the footballer set up in 2015, and he has given talks about the dangers of drugs after battling addiction.
In September, the foundation announced a new education partnership with Kick It Out, English football’s anti-discrimination watchdog, developed in collaboration with the University of Westminster’s Centre for Education and Training Innovation (CETI).
“Education has always been at the heart of our foundation’s mission,” Canoville, the former Chelsea winger, said at the time. “By partnering with Kick It Out and the University of Westminster, we’re ensuring that my story reaches young people in a way that’s both educational and transformational. When students understand the challenges I faced and how communities can support each other, they’re empowered to make a positive difference in their own lives and communities.”
Kick It Out chief operating officer Hollie Varney added: “This partnership represents exactly what we’re working towards – using real stories and authentic voices to educate young people about inclusion and equality. Paul’s journey as a trailblazer in football provides an incredibly powerful framework for helping students understand their own role in building inclusive communities.”
- UK Telegraph
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