West Ham To Identify Fans Involved In Crowd Trouble During Victory Over Chelsea

 

West Ham have confirmed they are finalising the identification of 200 individuals involved in the crowd disturbances during their EFL Cup victory over Chelsea on Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police have also confirmed three men have been charged following the trouble at London Stadium, with offences ranging from assault on a police officer to possession of class A drugs.

A further three men were arrested, but all were bailed pending further enquiries. West Ham have insisted they will issue seasonal or life bans, depending on the severity of the offence, to any fan found to have been involved in the trouble.

A spokesperson for London Stadium partners West Ham United, E20 Stadium LLP and London Stadium 185, said: “An extensive safety and security operation was delivered in and around London Stadium throughout Wednesday's match with close co-ordination between West Ham United, London Stadium 185 and the Metropolitan Police Service. A small number of individuals were intent on becoming involved in disorder and are being investigated, identified and banned from London Stadium as a matter of priority. The response of our safety and security teams was measured, fast and effective and we commend our stewarding and response personnel who were called to deal with several incidents of challenging behaviour. It must be stressed that the vast majority of West Ham United and visiting supporters have behaved impeccably and we are committed to ensuring that they can continue to support their team in a safe environment. We wish to thank the genuine supporters who are behaving impeccably when attending matches at London Stadium for their fantastic support. We wish to assure them that we will work tirelessly to ban those who seek to affect their enjoyment and match experience.”

Both sets of fans threw missiles across a segregated area of the ground before breaking through security and clashing along a walkway of the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand. Police in riot gear managed to quell the disorder as the match concluded.

The FA will ask both clubs for their observations before assessing evidence and deciding whether to bring any charges.