West Ham should face stadium closure after violent clashes with Chelsea fans, says MP Mark Field
West Ham are seeking 200 banning orders against fans believed to have been involved in the violent clashes that marred their 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the EFL Cup
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Your support makes all the difference.An MP has called for West Ham to “present a detailed plan to the FA and Premier League” following the violent clashes witnessed during the EFL Cup match against Chelsea on Wednesday night, or face having the London Stadium closed and play matches in front of empty stands.
Seven people were arrested after riot police were required to separate the two sets of supporters, with violent clashes breaking out while the match was still being played. West Ham have since issued a statement to confirm that they are seeking banning orders for up to 200 fans that have been identified in the incident through CCTV, with either season or lifetime bans being handed out for various offences that include abusive and offensive language and missile throwing.
Chairs were ripped out of place and thrown at rival fans along with coins and bottles, with an eight-year-old girl among those hit during the unwelcome scenes.
Mark Field, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, and also vice-chairman on the all-party parliamentary football group, has said that if West Ham can’t convince the FA and Premier League that the can host matches without incident, then the London Stadium should be closed to supporters until further notice.
“Within the next 14 days, the board of West Ham United FC should present a detailed plan to the FA and Premier League outlining what they are going to do about security,” Mr Field told the Evening Standard.
"None of these problems were unforeseeable given the nature of the stadium and difficulties with policing large footballing crowds.
“There have been some clear failings and they now need to move with urgency to deliver a plan about segregation and broader public order issues.
“If there is a repeat of the violence, the next two or three home games for West Ham should be played behind closed doors.”
Measures such as extra security, an alcohol ban outside the stadium and segregation of fans were put in place in order to try and avoid the ugly scenes that occurred. West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has since insisted that the club did “everything in our power” to ensure the right security measures were in place, while the club released a statement on Thursday night to confirm that they were seeking banning orders against 200 individuals.
“West Ham United and London Stadium are finalising the identification of 200 individuals who will receive stadium bans having been involved in incidents of disorder during West Ham’s EFL cup victory over Chelsea,” the statement read.
“Rapid progress has been made in the investigation with extensive CCTV footage being shared with West Ham United, London Stadium partners, the Metropolitan Police and Chelsea Football Club.
“Banning notifications will be issued for offences ranging from the use of abusive and offensive language to missile throwing. In line with our zero tolerance policy, all those involved will receive a seasonal or lifetime ban depending on the severity of the offence.”
The statement did not confirm which club the fans are believed to support.
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