West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek was subjected to a violent threat from a Millwall fan ahead of Saturday's London derby, in footage that has been shared on social media.
In a video clip filmed during a chance encounter in public, the Millwall supporter told Soucek: "If I see you at the Den next Saturday I'm going to cut your f***ing face off, you ****."
The clip was posted by the X account Now Football on September 14, 2026, which said Soucek laughed back at the fan rather than react to the threat.
Soucek's injury and the derby's return
The 31-year-old Czech international has not featured for West Ham this season while nursing an ankle injury, but has been watching on from the sidelines as Nuno Espirito Santo's side have played without him.
West Ham travel to The Den on Saturday to face Millwall for the first time in 14 years, in a fixture widely regarded as one of the fiercest rivalries in English football.
History of violence between the clubs
Previous meetings between Millwall and West Ham have been marred by racist abuse aimed at players from both sides. A 44-year-old fan was stabbed in the chest when the two clubs met in the League Cup in August 2009.
That contest saw three pitch invasions, with hundreds of West Ham fans congregating outside the club's former Upton Park stadium at full time, where police were pelted with flying crates and bottles. The Metropolitan Police deployed 200 riot officers, at least 20 mounted officers and a helicopter for the match.
One Millwall fan told the BBC it felt like a "war zone" outside the stadium. "There was fighting all round," the fan said. "I brought my kids with me tonight and they've seen some violence that is indescribable."
A local kebab shop owner said: "All hell broke loose - it was very frightening. Bottles and bricks were being thrown from the back and some were hitting West Ham fans at the front. There were loads of people with bloodied faces."
