London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall have both promised to assist a Football Association inquiry into the racist abuse directed towards Spurs forward Son Heung-Min during Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final.
South Korea star Son was taunted by Millwall supporters during Tottenham’s 6-0 victory at White Hart Lane and responded to the jibes with a hat-trick against the third-tier side.
He was subjected to chants of “dvd” and “three for a fiver”, which were perceived as a racial slur against Asians who sell black market films in London.
According to British media reports, the FA will consider referee Martin Atkinson’s match report and also seek the observations of both clubs.
A Tottenham spokesman said: “We strongly condemn the use of any racist language.
“We shall be passing on all of our footage to the relevant authorities which can assist with the identification of anyone responsible for such chanting at yesterday’s game.”
Meanwhile, a Millwall statement read: “Millwall have led the way on anti-discrimination initiatives and will continue to do so.
“The club is assisting the FA with their investigation and will make no further comment until that process is complete.”
After the match, Millwall manager Neil Harris made it clear such taunts shouldn’t be tolerated.
“Honestly I didn’t hear anything but myself and the club, we won’t condone that if there is,” Harris said.
“I’m sure it will be investigated and left to the authorities. We want people dealt with harshly of course. It’s a shame to be talking about this.
“We just want everyone to enjoy the game. It’s wrong in society and wrong in football.”
Millwall fans were also accused by Wolves boss Paul Ince of aiming the same racist chants at South Korea’s Seol Ki-Hyeon in a match in 2005.
But Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said Son hadn’t complained about the chants after the match.
“No, Son didn’t say anything,” Pochettino said. “I didn’t hear (the songs). It’s difficult for me to understand the crowd.”
Millwall remain under a separate investigation by the FA after Leicester complained about the opposition fans’ behaviour following the Lions’ surprise victory in the previous round.
Each inquiry, however, will be treated as a separate entity.
Millwall, based in south London, became notorious for mass acts of fan violence during the 1970s and 1980s, leaving the club with a reputation that its officials have tried desperately hard to shed in the years since.
