MILLWALL's former chairman Theo Paphitis has likened members of the FA to Comical Ali after the club was threatened with ground closure.

Paphitis, who was replaced by Jeff Burnige at the end of last season, was furious with the governing body's decision to impose a £32,500 fine on the Lions after the club was found guilty of failing to control its fans during the Carling Cup clash with Liverpool last October.

Paphitis, who is still on the club's board of directors, said: "If it wasn't such a serious issue, Comical Ali himself could have read out the verdict from the steps of Soho Square."

Millwall have lodged an immediate appeal, which they "fully expect to win".

The FA fined the club £7,500 for its "failure to prevent spectators throwing missiles onto the pitch" this in spite of the fact the 68 seats ripped out and hurled onto the pitch came from the visitors' end.

The other £25,000 was levied for the alleged racist abuse by Lions' fans.

The charge relates to an incident in the 77th minute of the match, won 2-0 by Liverpool, when Marvin Elliott and Djimi Traore squared up to one another following a hefty challenge by the Liverpool full-back on the Millwall midfielder.

Traore's subsequent touches were booed by sections of the home support, which amounted to racist chanting according to the FA.

But Paphitis argued the booing was incidental to the colour of Traore's skin.

He said: "When we met the FA, we watched 11 seconds of video evidence from that night and we could hear nothing. We then played them a tape of Norwich versus Spurs and it was the same. Just crowd noises not monkey chanting. There was no difference."

If the appeal fails, Millwall will have to pay the £32,500 fine in full and may be forced to play a home game behind closed doors this season if the club's fans are again found guilty of a similar offence.

Paphitis also called for a strategic review of the FA, and has found a powerful ally in the form of Lord Burns, who concluded the organisation needed an overhaul.