
Violent
clashes between West Ham and Chelsea fans at the London Stadium on Wednesday
night will be investigated by the Football Association.
The Metropolitan Police made seven arrests after West Ham's 2-1 EFL Cup win
and said they would "work tirelessly to identify people involved and bring
them to justice", while the Hammers vowed to ban any fan implicated in the
disorder.
Both sets of fans threw missiles across a segregated area of the ground
before breaking through security and clashing along a walkway at the top 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.
A West Ham statement read: "West Ham United and London Stadium partners
unreservedly condemn the behaviour of individuals involved in incidents
during this evening's fixture with Chelsea.
"Whilst quickly brought under control, the club, in line with its clear zero
tolerance policy, will work closely with London Stadium 185, the
Metropolitan Police Service and Chelsea to identify the individuals
involved.
"Once identified, those found to have acted improperly will be banned from
attending any West Ham United fixtures for life and we will request the
courts serve banning orders to prevent these individuals attending any other
football."
A Chelsea spokesman added on Wednesday night: "The club is extremely
disappointed to see disturbances at the end of tonight's game and we condemn
such behaviour.
"It would be inappropriate to comment further until tonight's incidents have
been investigated properly."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic described the scenes as "unacceptable" and
Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte expressed his disappointment.
Commander BJ Harrington of the Metropolitan Police said: "Although the vast
majority of people left the stadium peacefully and were well behaved, there
were a minority of people who attended the match that were clearly intent on
being involved in confrontation and violence.
"We welcome the condemnation from partners and have already started a post
match investigation."
Sky Sports News HQ's chief news reporter Bryan Swanson was at the game,
deemed high risk by the police due to the history of violence between both
sets of fans.
He said: "What this did is quite graphically illustrate that the segregation
promised at this match will be questioned by the authorities, the clubs and
police.
"For whatever reason, there seemed to be a slow response and that's why it
escalated so quickly.
"This was always billed a high-risk match. The police said there would be
robust policing inside the stadium and West Ham were at pains to say they
wanted this game to be trouble-free. They urged every supporter to be an
ambassador. It will raise questions about why there was that coming together
of supporters on the walkway."
There has already been violence involving West Ham supporters outside their
new stadium at Stratford following the recent Premier League games against
Watford and Middlesbrough.
Nine arrests have been made outside the ground since the beginning of the
season, while West Ham have issued 23 banning orders for offences ranging
from drinking in view of the pitch to breaking the line of segregation.