Millwall vs West Ham LIVE: Heavy police presence as notorious rivalry reignited - latest news and updates
Millwall and West Ham clash in the Championship today as the most ferocious and notorious rivalry in English football is reignited after 14 years. Not since February 2012 have these fierce London foes locked horns in any competition, with West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League last season leading to a renewal of the ‘Dockers Derby’. The Metropolitan Police have a large operation in place in a bid to avoid the sort of shameful violence that marred the 2009 League Cup tie between these two clubs at Upton Park.
West Ham will approach this trip to The Den full of confidence, heading into the weekend sitting top of the table after winning four league matches in a row and hitting Wrexham for six last time out. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side then pushed Fulham all the way in the Carabao Cup third round on an emotional night when they paid tribute to the late Ludek Miklosko.
Millwall, meanwhile, currently sit down in mid-table after blowing a two-goal lead at Middlesbrough in midweek and are being hampered by an ongoing injury crisis. Follow Millwall vs West Ham live below, with Arthur Ferridge at The Den.
Millwall vs West Ham latest news
Live updates
Map reveals large police dispersal zone
Below is the area of south-east London covered by the Met’s section 35 dispersal order, which gives the police powers to order people to leave a specific public area and not return for a set period of time.
Travelling West Ham fans were told to use South Bermondsey Station, via London Bridge, then go down the walkway straight through to the away turnstiles at The Den.
West Ham warned that fans attempting to use other local stations would be turned away and directed to South Bermondsey.
They also urged supporters not to wear colours.
The Met said that Hammers fans would also likely be guided back to South Bermondsey Station after the match, with it potentially closed to home fans for up to an hour as a result.
Why do Millwall and West Ham fans hate each other?
Millwall vs West Ham is certainly not your average London derby, with one club obviously based south of the Thames and the other over in the east.
Ever wondered why, then, this is such a fearsome rivalry and where it all started?
And why is it called the ‘Dockers Derby’?
We’ve got you covered....
Huge police operation in place to stop fan violence
Many officers deployed will be in riot gear, but without shields.
They are all trained to deal with public disorder.
For context, around 60 to 150 officers normally police games in the Championship, but authorities will be desperate to avoid the sort of disgraceful scenes that marred the League Cup tie between these two clubs at Upton Park in 2009.
Dog units, mounted police and live facial recognition cameras are also being deployed as part of the large-scale operation.
A section 35 dispersal order is also in place covering a large area of south-east London.
How to watch Millwall vs West Ham
Millwall vs West Ham will be broadcast live on both Sky Sports Football and ITV1.
Sky’s coverage will begin at 11.30am BST, while the free-to-air ITV broadcast begins at 12pm BST.
Live stream: You can stream the game live on the ITVX website and app, while Sky subscribers can stream live via Sky Go.
Millwall vs West Ham live
Good morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Millwall vs West Ham.
The Championship plays host to the first instalment of English football’s fiercest and most notorious rivalry since 2012 this afternoon.
A huge police operation is in place to try and avoid the sort of violent scenes witnessed in the past when these London foes lock horns.
Kick-off is at 12:30pm BST, so stay tuned for live updates, with Arthur Ferridge at The Den.
