West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan apologises to Manchester United and says he didn't know full extent of attack
Sullivan initially claimed 'there was no attack on the coach' but he has issued a statement after seeing the damage caused by West Ham fans
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Your support makes all the difference.West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan has apologised to Manchester United for the damage caused to their team bus by fans outside the Boleyn Ground ahead of the final match to be played at the stadium, having previously played down the incident.
Sullivan spoke ahead of the match – which West Ham won 3-2 in thrilling circumstances after trailing 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining – to criticise United for arriving at the ground late, having been involved in a similar delay for the match against Tottenham last month.
Sullivan also claimed that “there was no attack on the coach” and said the disruption was merely a build-up of people around it, though video footage showed this was not the case. The 67-year-old has since revealed that he was not aware of the full extent of the incident when he spoke to Radio Five Live, and he wanted to apologise to United for the damage caused as well as condemn the West Ham fans that were responsible.
Sullivan said in a statement released on Wednesday: “If we were to have scripted how our final game at the Boleyn would have played out, it wouldn’t have been much different to last night’s match. The West Ham family then all celebrated our legends and former players together in what was a truly fitting ceremony to say goodbye to our home of 112 years.
“Sadly, the actions of very small minority of people outside the ground prior to kick-off risks overshadowing those celebrations. I want to be clear – their behaviour was completely unacceptable and does not represent our club or our values.
“When I was asked about the incident prior to yesterday’s game, I was unaware of the damage that had occurred to the Manchester United team bus. I want to apologise to Manchester United for that damage and assure them that we will be doing all we can to track down those responsible and ban them for life.”
Both West Ham and Sullivan have confirmed that action is already being taken to find those guilty of throwing bottles and missiles at the United bus as it attempted to make its way to the ground, with Metropolitan Police also investigating the incident.
“This morning I have already tasked my senior team to work with the police to identify them as their behaviour belongs in the past and not in a future that promises so much for our great club,” Sullivan added.
“I truly hope that in due course we will look back on what happened in the stadium rather than what happened outside and remember our farewell to the Boleyn for all the right reasons.”
Both West Ham and United have already been contacted by the Football Association who will liaise with the Metropolitan Police, and the governing body will support any action or bans handed out by West Ham to those found to have been involved in throwing objects at the coach.
The FA will also seek to investigate whether the arrangement for United’s coach to travel to the ground in a safe and secure manner were of an adequate level.
United were forced to travel on a replacement coach back to Stansted Airport after the match due to the damage sustained by their club coach.
Police confirmed that no arrests were made during the crowd trouble, but an office and a member of the public were treated for minor injuries.
"We are aware that a number of items were thrown towards Manchester United's coach this evening, Tuesday, 10 May,” read a Metropolitan Police statement. "There have been no arrests. An appropriate policing plan is in place."
West Ham have confirmed that they will seek life-time bans for anyone found to have been involved in the attack. The stadium, which will cease to hold Premier League football at the end of the season as West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, was also targeted after the match, with seats ripped out of their fixings and a Sir Trevor Brooking Stand sign stolen after being seen on a train leaving the area.
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