Luton Town said they were “extremely disappointed” over the partial folding of a flag in their Kenilworth Road stadium during the England U21s game.
The Hatters hosted the England U21s on Monday (09/11) at Kenilworth Road, as the Young Lions played Austria.
Two goals from Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers, allied to further strikes by James McAtee and Tom Fellows, helped England record a 4-1 win in the game.
But Luton Town FC and their fans voiced disappointment over the partial folding up of a flag inside the ground, which hid the line “Betrayed by the FA 2008” on a flag in Kenilworth Road’s Main Stand.
The words on the flag are in reference to the deduction of 30 points from Luton by the FA in the summer of 2008 that contributed to their relegation from League Two.
The Loyal Luton Supporters’ Club voiced their disapproval in a statement on Facebook where they said they had been lead to believe the flag would be left untouched.
Luton Town later confirmed in their own statement that the folding up of the flag had been not authorised and they were unhappy with the action taken to hide the words.
The Hatters statement as published on their own website read, “Luton Town Football Club would like to clarify the situation regarding the unauthorised folding of the flag in the corner of the Main Stand for last night’s England Under-21 international at Kenilworth Road.
“The ‘Betrayed by the FA 2008’ message printed at the bottom section of the flag has a meaningful significance to our supporters and the Club, as it is a representation of the most poignant event in the Club’s history and is a symbolic relic of the largest points deduction the FA has issued any club.
“As time has passed, the Club’s relationship with the FA has arrived at a place where games such as last night’s England U21 international may be hosted at Kenilworth Road. Events such as these are positive for the Club’s local community – particularly for younger supporters in the area – and are events the Club wishes to conduct more of moving into Power Court.
“In agreeing to use Kenilworth Road for last night’s fixture, the Club was obliged to hand the operation of the fixture and the Club’s entire facility to the FA under their specification which included adding the application of England branding throughout the stadium. However, it was requested that the banner in question would remain in place, just as it did when Kenilworth Road played host to the FA Women’s National League Cup final on March 23rd.
“In the final build-up to the match, the FA asked for the flag to be taken down, a request that the Club rejected. Instead, the corner was folded, which meant the flag remained in place, but the full extent of its meaning was compromised. This action was demanded by the FA and carried out by a member of Club staff who didn’t appreciate the true significance of the action. Had the request been escalated it would have been declined.
“The Club understands the subsequent reaction from the fanbase and is extremely disappointed the FA felt the need to hide the message, which is also a poignant part of its own history. We will never forget what happened with the points deductions, and we apologise to any of our supporters who were offended by this action and to those who own the flag.
“Ultimately, it was not the Club’s decision but the FA’s very late insistence in their staging of the fixture.
“Finally, the Club would like to be able to offer Kenilworth Road as a hosting venue for similar fixtures in future but would only do so on assurance that the Club’s wishes to acknowledge its history are observed.”
