Rising Against FA Tyranny

At halftime, boos echoed through The Den as Aldrich waited by the sidelines for the referees to come off the pitch. He approached the main referee, Horn, trying to convey his thoughts. 

But Horn wouldn't budge, ignoring Aldrich completely. No matter what Aldrich shouted, Horn marched straight ahead, ball in hand, without a glance.

Aldrich felt a fire brewing inside him. There was nothing to be said in the locker room, so he focused on boosting the players' morale, reminding them not to let the referee's calls affect their concentration on the game.

Tactically, there was little to adjust. Millwall had dominated the first half, pressing relentlessly. Had it not been for a disallowed goal, they would have already been in the lead.

As the second half began, Aldrich stood cold-faced on the sidelines, hands in pockets. It was clear to anyone watching that he was furious, directing his anger at the officiating crew.

"The refereeing today has been far too lenient, clearly favoring Wimbledon. Given that Hall had a goal disallowed, it's only reasonable for him to express discontent with the officiating. Horn is officiating his first Premier League match today; perhaps he feels nervous or wants the game to flow smoothly without too many interruptions, but he has clearly failed to achieve that. It's quite baffling why an inexperienced referee without Premier League background was assigned to oversee this fixture. Millwall is a title contender, and the FA should ensure that their matches are officiated fairly, with top referees guaranteeing this standard."

Even the commentators were struggling to defend Horn.

His abilities were patently inadequate.

Logically, referees without Premier League experience typically ascend to officiate at the top level by gaining experience in less high-profile matches. Whenever there's a game involving title contenders, it's standard practice to assign referees who are well-acquainted with the demands of such crucial fixtures.

Millwall's players seemed to hesitate in the second half.

Van der Meyde barely dared to take the ball, choosing instead to pass it whenever he had the chance. Normally, he doesn't shy away from a fair fight, but today the aggression of the opposing players was worrying. The referee's failure to control Wimbledon's unbridled violence led to a series of fouls beyond the normal range, leaving the players worried about their safety. Perhaps only Nedved was unaffected; everyone else was understandably cautious. After all, Wimbledon is a notorious team whose rough tactics once brought Liverpool to tears.

Consequently, Millwall's aerial approach became even more pronounced. They not only crossed the ball from the flanks but also played long balls from deep.

In the 63rd minute, Zambrotta crossed from the left. The ball found the perfect spot as Van Nistelrooy prepared to leap for a header, only to be shoved to the ground by a Wimbledon defender.

The fans at The Den rose collectively, arms raised, shouting, "Foul! Penalty!"

Referee Horn crossed his arms in front of him, signaling no foul.

Aldridge had a mocking smile on his face. He knew that protesting would not change anything, but Klinsmann obviously disagreed. The new assistant coach angrily walked up to the fourth official and raised a finger at the opposing players. 'The way you refereeed today is rubbish! Rubbish! You don't deserve to wear a referee uniform!

The "men in black" were irked. The main referee halted the match and marched over to Klinsmann, brandishing a red card. Klinsmann, still agitated, attempted to debate with Horn, but Aldrich intervened, guiding him back.

Klinsmann shot glances back at the referee as the fans in the stands applauded him.

It was undeniable; his outburst had quickly earned him the crowd's support.

Amidst the jeers, Aldrich clapped his hands mockingly at the officiating crew.

Horn hesitated for a moment, evidently reconsidering throwing Aldrich out as well.

After all, this was The Den – Millwall's home ground. Did Horn really want to be labeled as the one who ruined a home game?

As the match resumed, Horn eventually unveiled cards for the Wimbledon players in response to the unending boos but only with less than half an hour remaining. The booking of Wimbledon players didn't matter now; the game became a series of interruptions, with Wimbledon deliberately wasting time while the score remained 0-0.

As the clock ticked down to the final fifteen minutes, Aldrich called for Materazzi to press forward.

But with Wimbledon parking the bus, their defensive line held firm. Any time danger loomed, they fouled and slowed the game. Once the defensive ranks were solidified, Millwall could only hope for set-piece opportunities.

When regular time concluded, the fourth official signaled four minutes of stoppage time.

Aldrich shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Although Wimbledon had many timeouts and substitutions, in the end, the referee only gave both sides four minutes of stoppage time.

"However, in the dying moments of stoppage time, Nedved showcased his individual brilliance, skillfully weaving past two defenders just outside the box. Just as he was about to be brought down by a third opponent, he expertly nudged the ball into the area for Klose. Klose, having stayed onside, pounced on the pass and was about to unleash a shot when the referee, Horn, blew his whistle."

Klose ignored the whistle and unleashed a strike that found the net.

Horn, however, pointed outside the box, signaling for a direct free kick to Millwall.

Nedved stood up hurriedly and shouted to the referee in disbelief: "This should be considered an offensive advantage! We scored a goal!"

Horn replied sternly, "But I blew the whistle first."

Millwall's players all surrounded Horn, who, under this "attack," brandished three yellow cards and one red card, sending Materazzi off for foul language.

Aldrich remained expressionless on the sidelines.

Once the game resumed, Lampard's free kick sailed over the bar as Horn blew the final whistle, signaling the end of the match.

Lampard rushed toward Horn, bewildered, saying, "Four minutes of stoppage time! Their foul was two minutes in; there should be at least two minutes left!"

Horn ignored the uproar from the players and crowd. He calmly picked up the ball and gestured for his fellow officials to leave the field together.

Aldrich turned and headed into the players' tunnel.

The Den erupted with boos, and a bizarre scene unfolded.

Arthur, the club's overweight figure, sprinted from the VIP area straight onto the pitch.

Staff nearby may have realised what the club president was thinking - he was known for his short temper. They rushed forward to stop the angry Arthur. He broke free from the two men, freed his arms from his suit and rushed forward.

When he was just three meters away from Horn, the others caught up, trying to restrain him. Yet, even with three people holding him back, Arthur continued to push forward, unleashing a torrent of rage at the officiating team.

'This is outright robbery! You're helping Wimbledon steal from us! Football criminals! A disgrace! Come here—I'll make you regret this!'

He finally stopped moving forward only after six men managed to subdue him. He glared at the officials as they retreated into the distance, his anger evident in his words.

As the officiating crew reached the players' tunnel, security stood guard to prevent outraged fans from rushing in. Yet nearby fans hurled lighters, coins, and random objects at the officials.

Eventually, the referees exited amid chaos, heads down to avoid projectiles…

Five years ago, if we had witnessed such a scene at The Den, it wouldn't have seemed surprising. Yet at this moment, it felt rare yet justified. Millwall felt they had been treated unfairly, and the fans were responding as any reasonable person would when faced with injustice. The match had concluded with Millwall drawing 0-0 against Wimbledon, and hopefully, today's events wouldn't impact their future matches.

After the game, reporters flocked to the press conference at Fleet Street. While Millwall's clash with Wimbledon attracted negligible attention compared to the simultaneous London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal, reporters who had been at Stamford Bridge were now rushing to The Den.

Aldrich spent a long time calming his players in the locker room post-match. He needed them to face the situation calmly; anger wouldn't help, and it would cloud their judgment.

When he finally appeared at the press conference, the seats were packed, with many reporters standing in the aisles.

Aldrich sat down, maintaining a neutral expression, and took a couple of sips of water from the bottle in front of him.

Richard, eager as ever, cut to the chase: "Mr. Hall, what do you make of today's match?"

Aldrich, his expression composed, replied coolly, "The opposition was too strong; we struggled to scrape a draw."

The journalists gaped in surprise.

Richard exaggeratedly responded, "Don't you have any thoughts on the officiating?"

Aldrich raised an eyebrow, as though genuinely confused, and retorted, "Was there a referee today? I didn't see one. From start to finish, it felt like we were playing with just ten men against Wimbledon's twelve. Thank goodness we didn't lose."

Realization dawned on the reporters, their excitement rekindled at Aldrich's words.

This was the response they were waiting for!

But no matter how much they sought to provoke him, Aldrich maintained that Millwall was always at a disadvantage, and the absence of a competent referee made the game's events both justified and rational.

Aldrich's calm sarcasm and the controversial calls made the match a talking point in the aftermath.

Millwall did not lodge a complaint against the referee, and the FA surely wouldn't investigate anything.

However, the FA was quick to hand out penalties.

Aldrich received a five-match ban and a £100,000 fine for his post-match comments.

Klinsmann was banned for three matches and fined £30,000.

Materazzi's red card resulted in a two-match suspension and a fine of £5,000.

Club chairman Arthur faces a ten-match ban for threatening behaviour towards a referee.

Meanwhile, following the chaos at The Den, where fans attacked the officiating crew, the FA launched a safety investigation with penalties to be announced after the outcomes were revealed. During the investigation, parts of The Den would be closed off to spectators.

FA's Wiseman also publicly stated that, given the chaos created by Millwall fans, the FA was reconsidering whether to continue renting out Wembley, a national image stadium, to Millwall.

Millwall's response was notably subdued. They neither appealed nor delayed the payment of fines.

That night, Aldrich met Andrew in a park on the outskirts of East London. They talked until late before returning home.

This incident sparked a heated reaction across the entire Premier League, with the league looking for leverage amidst its power struggles.

The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. (PGMOL), responsible for regulating the refereeing body, consisted of representatives from the FA, the Premier League, and the Premier League Committee, all rife with jockeying for power and internal conflict.

Now, the Premier League saw this as a chance to expand its influence, with Millwall's match providing them a perfect opportunity to push back against the FA.