Alex Neil has come clean as to why Bristol City‘s Jason Knight clashed with the Millwall boss to begin a post-match fracas at the weekend.
The Lions continued their fine spell of form which has them challenging right at the very top of the Championship with a win over Gerhard Struber’s side, coming through Serbian striker Mihailo Ivanovic just before the hour mark at Ashton Gate. However, that was overshadowed by the scenes at full-time, with players and coaches coming together in front of the dugouts.
Bristol City and Millwall broke out in a mass brawl at the end of the Lions’ 1-0 win these evening 🫣 pic.twitter.com/wmElTrhTMU
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 6, 2025
Neil Explains Cause Of Brawl
At the centre of the clash was Millwall boss Alex Neil, who was shoved by Robins defender Jason Knight, which sparked the mass confrontation, which thankfully ended with no cards shown by referee Edward Duckworth. Neil clarified the situation to the media following the match. (Quotes via Southwark News):
“I could give you exactly what happened, if you want?” Neil replied. “What happened was I went over to their coach to shake his hand after the game, as I do every game, and he sort of pulled his hand away, which was disappointing.
“I don’t know if Jason’s looked and thought that I’ve refused to shake his hand which is obviously not the case, and then he’s come over and pushed me. And then there’s just been a swarm of people coming from different angles. It’s handbags, everybody’s pushing and shoving each other. That was the long and the short to it.
“I could understand his [Struber’s] frustration, he’s just got a disallowed goal, all that sort of stuff. But, all I would say for myself is, whether we win, lose or draw the first thing I always do is shake the opposition’s hand irrespective of how frustrated I was.”
Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber had a different version of events, believing that Neil failed to shake his hand twice, but stated that his side bore some of the responsibility of what happened afterwards.
The FA are yet to make any decisions on whether anyone will be charged for the post-match incidents, which also saw Millwall assistant David Livermore fall to the floor. Both teams face matches on Wednesday with Struber’s team back at home against Leicester City, while Millwall travel up the M1 to Derby County.
Writer’s View
The post-match comments have now given some clarity as to why the events after the final whistle unfolded at Ashton Gate. However, that certainly does not excuse what happened from either side, and should have seen calmer heads prevail and both parties walk away from the situation.
Jason Knight should certainly be worried from an FA decision due to his actions sparking the fracas, while previous precedent could see others face charges such as in the brawl between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea as a result of their manager’s handshake back in 2022.
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