Ouseley ‘crucial’ to Millwall’s defence
witness for the defence, with the testimonial he gave before an independent commission described by insiders yesterday as being ‘crucial’ to the outcome of the case. It is understood Ouseley also appeared as a witness for the defence when Liverpool’s Djimi Traore suffered abuse during a League Cup game at The Den in 2004. Again the FA’s attempts to punish the club proved unsuccessful. The introduction of a new strict liability rule in 2014 means a club can no longer use the defence that efforts were made to tackle racism. Millwall are therefore more likely to become the first English club to be punished for racist chanting by their fans. Club officials have said they intend to ban for life anyone identified using racist abuse. Lord Ouseley was yesterday unavailable for comment. In a statement the FA said: ‘It is alleged the club failed to ensure its spectators conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using abusive and/or insulting words, which included a reference to race and/or ethnic origin, during the Emirates FA Cup tie against Everton on 26 January 2019.’ On Monday sports minister Mims Davies will hold ‘urgent’ discussions in Westminster with key stakeholders on how to tackle racism in football. Kick It Out will be among those who attend, before they host a lavish black tie event in London on Thursday to mark their 25th anniversary. They are the subject of a Charity Commission investigation, announced in December after a series of revelations made by
Sportsmail amid concerns for staff welfare. A commission spokeswoman said: ‘The public rightly expect charities to be safe places where people are free from harm. We have been made aware of concerns about Kick It Out. We have opened a regulatory compliance case to assess these concerns.’