Simon Jordan says its too easy too vilify Millwall fans for booing their players over BLM support

Simon Jordan has insisted it is not fair to label Millwall fans racist for booing their own players for taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter, as he claims that nobody knows what actually drew such a reaction.

A large section of the 2,000 Millwall fans, allowed into the New Den for the first time since March after the easing of Covid restrictions, jeered players from both sides before kick off when they made the stance.

The supporters’ actions brought widespread condemnation from across the game, which was led by Gary Lineker among other prevalent names from the sport. 

Simon Jordan has questioned the decision to label Millwall fans ‘racist’ for booing on Saturday

A large number of the 2,000 fans inside the ground jeered at the gesture before kick-off

Millwall player Mahlon Romeo said he had been offended by the reaction of the fans to what he says is a ‘peaceful gesture’.

However, Jordan has suggested that it is not the gesture, but the Black Lives Matter movement which the supporters are taking issue with.  

‘I’ve maintained a sentiment forever and a day that I don’t believe that societal and political issues should be represented on the pitch, he said during his show with Jim White on talkSPORT. 

‘If you look at the framework of the reaction to this, the automatic leap to assumption, I don’t know, neither do you Jim, and neither do people who have assumed that centred in this is racism in the reaction.

Jordan told colleague Jim White (right) that he could not possibly know why fans had booed

‘I don’t know whether the people booed anti-discrimination, whether they take from this that they were booing anti-discrimination, diversity or inclusion. Or whether people were booing the idea that BLM as a brand, as a title, has a variety of different meanings. It has an ambiguity that causes confusion.’

Football players originally started taking the knee when the 2019-2020 season resumed in June.

The Black Lives Matter slogan also appeared on Premier League shirts. However, the decision was made to replace it with ‘No Room for Racism’ after growing concerns the BLM movement has been hijacked by extremists.

It is this concern that Jordan re-raised with his fellow host. 

‘If you close your eyes Jim [White] and you think of BLM, do you solely think of anti-discrimination?’ he asked. 

‘Do you solely think of inclusion and diversity? Or do you perhaps think of the political movement as well? Do you perhaps think of the Cenotaph with the burning flag or people defacing statues in London. Do they come into your mind as well?’  

‘This is a pushback to some extent about people’s perception of what BLM represents and what football should have done better is translate the message more clearly so we do not have the ambiguity around the organisation.’

Supporters attending Colchester’s match with Stevenage also jeered the gesture by players 

Pushed by White on whether this meant he understood why supporters had chosen to boo, Jordan said: ‘No, you don’t know, Danny [Murphy] doesn’t know and neither does anybody who immediately jumped on the bandwagon on Saturday and went “racism”.’

Later on in the afternoon, Jordan’s comments were picked up on by fellow talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham. 

He proceeded to reject Jordan’s claim that there was no systemic racism in the UK, and invited him to speak to three black colleagues, who Durham himself had spoken to, on the issue. 

Durham also went on to Tweet: ‘Remember when Raheem Sterling spoke eloquently & passionately in June about the disease of racism, taking the knee & why “Black Lives Matter” was on the back of the shirt? 

‘Six months later some people still don’t get it & are asking for clarity. Should’ve listened to Raheem.’