West Ham United's Public Relations team have been working overtime to try and deflect attention away from the behaviour of their own fans and put the spotlight back onto The Lions away following. And it seems to have worked.
This morning's newspapers were full of stories of how Carlton Cole was racially abused by a section of Millwall fans and The Sun and Metro newspaper in particular were vehement in their condemnation. While we at Millwall Mad would never defend the monkey chants that were alleged to have taken place on Tuesday night we found it rather ironic that the abuse directed towards striker Jason Price by the home crowd after in came on as a substitute failed to even warrant a mention.
The Millwall striker has confirmed that he was the subject of racist abuse and The Independent newspaper has confirmed that he was targeted by a section of the Upton Park crowd.
Elsewhere Neil Harris' comments that he feared for his teammates safety also received little press coverage. With David Forde in particular receiving several threats from the invading West Ham fans the press and media alike have chosen to ignore these incidents - and the stabbing of a Millwall fan who was trying to get away from a marauding mob of Hammers fans with his family outside the ground seems to have been brushed under the carpet.
Racism has no room in football. Neither is their room for selective press coverage. Carlton Cole was the subject of racist abuse. But so was Price - but no one seems to care about him as he wasn't dressed in claret and blue. Double standards, no?