Trial by Media: Liam Roberts, the BBC’s Free Pass to Parish, and Clickbait Vultures
Football’s a brutal game, and goalkeepers always seem to get the worst of it when the spotlight burns bright—especially when it’s live on the BBC and the media decides to pick a side. On March 1, 2025, at Selhurst Park, our Millwall man Liam Roberts went in high on Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta during the FA Cup fifth round. Six minutes in, a red card. Mateta stretchered off, 25 stitches, a hospital stay—all broadcast in real time. The FA took the initial three-game ban and stretched it to six, calling it “insufficient.” Rules are rules, fair enough. But what’s followed isn’t justice—it’s a media execution, fueled by unchecked rants and clickbait vultures. And while the headlines scream, no one’s asking: how’s Liam handling this? How’s his family coping?
This wasn’t just a controversial moment—it was primetime drama. The BBC’s live coverage meant Roberts’ challenge was dissected instantly. Jonathan Pearce and his crew hammered our fans for the “let him die” chants, but here’s the twist: in the 27th minute, Palace fans chanted the exact same thing at a Millwall player. Funny how that didn’t make the cut. No replay. No outrage. When our lot did it? Headline news. Then came the real kicker: Palace chairman Steve Parish, given a live halftime platform to rant unchecked.
“The most reckless challenge I’ve ever seen,” he fumed, telling Roberts to “have a long hard look at himself.” And the BBC just let him roll. No pushback, no balance—just a chairman, mid-game, using the national stage to tear into an opposition player. Should Parish have had that platform, no questions asked? No chance. A chairman’s job is to run his club, not play judge, jury, and executioner on live TV. But his rant set the tone, and the media lapped it up.
The Daily Mail’s Kieran Gill demanded the book be thrown at “boorish, beastly Millwall” and our “reckless keeper” (source). Oliver Holt compared it to Schumacher’s infamous 1982 World Cup challenge—seriously? Chris Sutton piled on in Mail Sport’s podcast , Richard Keys and Keith Hackett weighed in on Football Insider, and The Guardian, The Athletic, The Independent, Express.co.uk —“reckless Kung Fu kick”—kept the fire burning. SPORTbible called it “nasty”. Even the Second Tier Podcast, the self-appointed voice of the Championship, cashed in—turning Roberts’ nightmare into clickbait gold. Everyone had an opinion, but not one of them checked on the man himself. Not one called out Palace fans for the same chants they condemned us for.
Other coverage has been just as relentless:
The Guardian: Millwall’s Liam Roberts hit with six-match ban for challenge on Mateta
The Sun: Jean-Philippe Mateta breaks silence after being rushed to hospital with horror injury during Crystal Palace vs Millwall
Let’s rewind to 1982: German keeper Harald Schumacher clattered into France’s Patrick Battiston in the World Cup semi-final. Hip-first to the face—out cold, three teeth gone, vertebrae cracked. The media went wild: French papers called him an “assassin,” British headlines branded him “brutal,” even German outlets questioned his head. But no red card. Just a free kick the other way. Madness. Death threats followed, his reputation trashed, and barely anyone asked how he was coping. It scarred him for life, but the press didn’t care—they just needed a villain. Sound familiar?
The BBC’s live cameras turned Roberts’ moment of misjudgment into a national scandal. Palace fans chanting “let him die” at 27 minutes? Ignored. Millwall fans doing it? National disgrace. Parish’s unchallenged halftime tirade? The matchstick that lit the fire. Should the BBC have let him rant like that without a counterpoint? Absolutely not. That wasn’t balance—it was a free pass to stoke the flames. The FA doubling the ban, the Mail getting banned from The Den for their character assassination, the pile-on from pundits—it all snowballed from that skewed coverage. And Second Tier Podcast? They just saw an opportunity to milk it for views and likes.
Roberts isn’t Schumacher. There was no intent—just a split-second misjudgment at Selhurst Park, as Millwall have made clear from the start. But the playbook is the same: the media picks a villain, pundits and clickbait merchants jump on board, and the human being at the center of it all gets lost. The club has called out the “abhorrent online abuse” Roberts has faced—death threats, hate messages, the lot. Imagine it: you’re 30 years old, doing your job, make one mistake in front of millions, and suddenly you’re a pariah. Your family scrolling through all that venom. Your mental health in freefall. Where’s that story? Nowhere. The BBC aired the tackle, but they won’t cover the fallout—or the hypocrisy. Second Tier just wants engagement.
Where’s that story? Nowhere. The BBC aired the tackle, but they won’t cover the fallout—or the hypocrisy. Second Tier just wants engagement.
This isn’t about dodging responsibility. Roberts took his ban. We wish Mateta well in his recovery. But while his stitches heal under the spotlight, Roberts is being buried in silence. Goalkeepers walk a tightrope—one mistake, and you’re done. Schumacher carried his for decades. Roberts is carrying his now, amplified by Parish’s microphone and the BBC’s stage. Yet the verdict is already written: reckless thug, case closed. No one’s asking how he’s sleeping, how his family is coping, or what it feels like to be football’s latest scapegoat while rival fans get a pass and pundits cash in on the outrage.
As Millwall fans, we’re used to the hate—it’s part of the territory. But this? This is different. So here’s our message: punish the act, not the man. Liam Roberts is one of ours, and he deserves better than this trial by media. Parish shouldn’t have had free rein on the BBC, Palace fans shouldn’t get a free pass for the same chants, and Second Tier can shove their clickbait. We want the full story—someone ask how Roberts is actually doing. Keepers have been through this before, and the press never learns.
What’s your take, Millwall fans? Drop your thoughts below or join us for our Live episode, where we’ll break it all down live.
No one likes us, and we’re fine with that—but we won’t let one of our own drown in silence.
Up the Lions.









