Parliament to question FA fine

Last updated : 10 June 2005 By Charlie Roper
Millwall's decision to fight the Football Association's fine for misconduct following The Lions' Carling Cup clash against Liverpool is set to receive the backing of the Houses of Parliament.

The Southwark News has reported that a motion led by Smion Hughes, the MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey, will be tabled condemning the FA's decision and has already attracted cross-party backing.

The FA has already come under fire from the media after they decided to fly in the face of both police evidence and a statement from Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry that no racial abuse took place during the course of the game. The evidence they did have, in the form of emails after a Liverpool website launched a campaign after the match, has already been discredited after it emerged that one of the leaders of the movement hadn't even attended the game.

Mr. Hughes' motion will criticise the decison and support the appeal the club are launching. It will also challenge the way the FA has acted in imposing the penalties.

"I was at the game and I heard no racist chanting", Mr Hughes told the Southwark News. "I have no complaint and nobody I knew had any complaint about racism or unsuitable language, which hasn't always been the case in the past.

"It seems to me the finding wasn't based on strong evidence. I'm surprised and very disappointed with the finding."