Millwall Football Club Considers Legal Action After Logo Appears on KKK Imagery in School Booklet

Millwall FC considers legal action against Westminster Council after their club crest was placed on a KKK member in an anti-racism booklet for schools.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 24, 2026, 6:18 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Football365

The Discovery of Infamous Imagery in Educational Material

The controversy centers on a booklet titled "The Paul Canoville Story," authored by Peter Daniel, an education and interpretation officer for Westminster City Council. The publication was designed to educate children about the career of Paul Canoville, who became Chelsea’s first Black player in 1982 and was a frequent target of racial vitriol. However, on page 20 of the document, an illustration featured a member of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist hate group, wearing the Millwall club badge on their white tunic. The image was accompanied by a speech bubble referencing a reserve match at Millwall where Canoville reportedly suffered significant abuse.

Official Response and Immediate Withdrawal of Materials

A spokesperson for Millwall described the club as "furious" over what they termed a serious misuse of a registered trademark that created a false and damaging association with a hate group. Following the club’s formal complaint, Westminster City Council issued a full apology and confirmed that the booklet has been pulled from circulation. The council has committed to destroying all remaining physical copies in their possession and has assured the club that no further distribution of the image will occur. Despite these concessions, Millwall leadership has stated they are still evaluating their legal position regarding the potential for defamation and trademark infringement.

Concerns Over Damage to Modern Community Progress

The timing of the incident is particularly sensitive for the South London club, which has spent decades working to distance itself from the hooliganism and racism associated with its fans in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, Millwall has been a frequent recipient of English Football League awards for its diversity and inclusion initiatives. Most recently, the club’s community trust won the Community Project of the Year at the London Football Awards for its work in providing employability training and career pathways for local youth. Club officials fear that the "insensitive" illustration in the booklet could undermine years of proactive community outreach.