{
  "id": 8200770,
  "title": "Met Police granted special power for Millwall vs West Ham amid fears of fan violence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/met-police-granted-special-power-for-millwall-vs-west-ham-amid-fears",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T07:41:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/met-police-granted-special-power-074114619.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Metropolitan Police are preparing a large-scale operation for the upcoming Millwall vs West Ham match on Saturday, following a 14-year hiatus between the fierce derby rivals. In anticipation of potential fan violence, 400 police officers will be deployed in riot gear, though without shields, four times the usual police presence at Championship games. Additionally, the police have been granted the special power of a Section 35 dispersal order, allowing them to remove anyone causing disorder. The dispersal zone extends across a significant portion of London, stretching from Tower Bridge in the west to near Greenwich Park in the east, covering nearly five miles along the River Thames to Ladywell station in the south. The Metropolitan Police stated, \"On Saturday, 19 September at 12:30hrs, Millwall face West Ham at the Den – the first time the two clubs have met since 2012. We want fans to enjoy the match safely and have worked with both clubs to help this happen.\" Past fan unrest, such as the 2009 Carling Cup tie where one man was stabbed, has been a recurring issue in meetings between the two clubs. West Ham supporters have been instructed to use South Bermondsey station, the designated station for visiting supporters, to keep fans separate before the lunchtime kickoff.",
  "summary": "West Ham face fierce rivals Millwall for the first time in 14 years on Saturday",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Police tighten security in Negri Sembilan amid royal institution developments",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/police-tighten-security-in-negri-sembilan-amid-royal-institution",
        "published": "2026-09-18T08:30:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}