Matchday mayhem: The day hooliganism reared its head at Upton Park

Football hooliganism reared its head back in 2009 after clashes broke out between West Ham and Millwall fans at West Ham’s Upton Park ground. Fans blamed the violence on a decision to halve Millwall’s ticket allocation for the game – leaving fans on the street without access to the stadium. Here Claudia Lee looks back on what happened – and why.

West Ham won the game 3–1, their first win over Millwall in seven games played over in 18 years, but the clash between the old enemies at Upton Park on August 25, 2009 remains infamous for other reasons – hooliganism.

Bloody confrontations flared inside Upton Park – the former home of that Hammers – as frustrations boiled over into pitch invasions and chaos. 

After the match, battles in the streets seethed to the buzz of police helicopters above and sirens below.

A total of 13 people were arrested and at least one person was stabbed.

But questions were raised about policing decisions after both clubs and their fans had predicted problems and warned officers to allow the full 3,000-ticket allocation for Millwall to keep everyone under control.

But that warning was ignored and the allocation halved, leading to thousands of fans on the streets having turned up without a ticket.

One fan said his teenage sons were attacked after Tube trains were stopped at Plaistow, meaning they had to walk two miles to the ground with no police presence.

Despite the criticism the Met said their policing plan had been “proportionate” and “well considered”.

Both clubs expressed their outrage at the violence and vowed to help the police in investigations and give anybody found to be involved “indefinite bans” from future matches.

The rivalry between Millwall and West Ham United is one of the longest-standing and most bitter in English football. 

The two teams, first known as Millwall Athletic and Thames Ironworks, both originated in the East End of London, and were located less than three miles apart. 

Millwall and West Ham have played each other 99 times competitively: Millwall have won 38, West Ham 34 and 27 have ended in a draw. 

Violence has occurred sporadically between the fans, with some of the most brutal incidents resulting in the death of a Millwall supporter in 1976, and the murder of a West Ham fan in 1986. 

The rivalry between the teams is deeply embedded in British football hooliganism lore and culture and has been subject to entire Met police operations to crack down on the ringleaders.

Fixtures between Millwall and West Ham United are currently categorised by the Met as category C – games which carry a high risk of disorder amongst supporters. 

But, in 2018, a glimmer of hope arose when the Hammers and Lions fans put their rivalry aside to help raise money for a young West Ham supporter suffering from cancer. 

Where the police, authorities and most of all common sense had failed, three-year-old Isla Caton succeeded in bringing a kind of peace to the most vicious rivalry in English football.

In a surprise truce the two teams joined forces with Millwall supporters taking on a series of spontaneous acts of charity.

Shortly after her death in 2022, West Ham and Millwall jointly released a statement of condolences in solidarity with the Caton family.

Pictured top: Bloodied fan led away at Upton Park on August 25, 2009 (Picture: Brian Tonks)