Football fans have been returning to stadiums around English football this week.

The implementation of the new tier system by the UK government after emerging from the second national lockdown has meant that a reduced number of fans can return after more than six months.

Millwall's clash with Derby County in the Championship this weekend was one such example with 2,000 fans being allowed into The Den due to London's presence in Tier 2.

Millwall vs Derby County

Only clubs in Tier 1 areas can let in more supporters, though that remains limited to the Isle of Wight and Cornwall, while games in Tier 3 regions must continue to be held behind closed doors.

Nevertheless, Millwall fans were able to flood through the floodgates again this week as they looked to end a winless streak of five games against a Derby side including Wayne Rooney.

However, there was an unexpected moment of controversy that came with the return of supporters before kick-off in the capital as some fans were heard booing the players who took a knee. 

Players booed for taking knee

The gesture has been adopted by many clubs around the country as a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd earlier this year.

You can see the footage down below.

Black Lives Matter

While there can be absolutely no denying the importance of the Black Lives Matter campaign, there remains debate surrounding whether taking a knee before games is the right way to spread awareness.

The Premier League, for example, dropped the campaign logo from their shirts in September for the 2020/21 campaign and certain clubs across the country have ceased taking a knee at kick-off.

But regardless of where you stand on this particular way of taking a stand, there is no debating that racism needs to be indiscriminately stamped out of both the game and wider society.

There is no room for racism in football and all of us must work together to crush its vile rhetorics of division in a sport intended to bring unity.