Stuart Nethercott: West Ham will get off lightly

Former Millwall captain Stuart Nethercott believes the FA would be closing down The Den had last month's Carling Cup riot happened in south London

The hard-hitting defender believes the FA - who are set to charge both West Ham and Millwall this week for failing to control their supporters - will be more lenient on the Premier League East Enders.

When asked about the likely punishments, Nethercott said: "If it had happened at Millwall, they would be clambering to close the ground down. As it has happened at a Premier League side - which is a one-off these days - they won't hit them anywhere near as hard."

Both clubs are expected to be hit with a fine by the FA but Nethercott believes any large fines will see the Lions suffer most. He added: "It won't bother West Ham financially but a big fine for Millwall wouldn't help the club at all."

The 35-year-old, who was axed as boss of non-League Malden Town, added: "It was certainly no surprise to me that it went off."