The FA are to probe a set of riotous events before, during, and after West Ham’s Carling Cup 2nd Round tie with Millwall last night, in scenes which saw missiles thrown at police, glass and bricks thrown between opposing supporters, and a 44-year-old man being stabbed. In the stadium itself, the game suffered from three pitch invasions, but no-one was harmed. The stab victim is currently in a stable condition in hospital. Precautions had been taken, with statues and pubs being covered and boarded up, but most efforts appeared to be in vain.
An FA spokesperson said: “We absolutely condemn all of the disorder that has occurred at Upton Park. We will be working with all parties, the police and clubs, to establish the facts surrounding these events.”
West Ham Football Club, meanwhille, have vowed give any fan found guilty of being involved in the disturbances a lifelong ban. “Swift action will be taken as soon as possible, with life bans for anyone responsible for the disturbance,” was a statement from the club.
Hammers chief executive Scott Duxbury added: “We will leave no stone unturned in rooting out the perpetrators.”
FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said it was too early to decide whether the clubs themselves would face sanctions, amid concerns of inadequate stewarding at the game. He stated: “We have to understand exactly what measures were put in place last night. I am not going to condemn West Ham or Millwall football clubs for any of their actions – certainly not at this stage. We know there have been huge efforts on the parts of all our clubs to try to eradicate the problems and we’ve had a history of success on that. However, we have to make sure that the individuals concerned face such tough actions that they can’t go to football again.”
A well-known London rivalry between West Ham and Millwall was re-ignited and hundreds of fans were involved in the disorder. West Ham took a 3-1 victory in this installment, but the result will be almost forgotten due to the actions of a select minority, who many believe had pre-planned the fight, and that many were not even football fans, only being there to cause a disturbance.
After the game, riot police, closed roads, and helicopters prepared for further possible clashes as thousands of fans tried to leave the stadium at full time.
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola was shocked at the scenes, and condemned those responsible for the trouble after the match and said they were not fans of football. Opposite number Kenny Jackett added that the issues were not his or the player’s responsibility, and that “There were no Millwall fans on the pitch, they stayed where they were supposed to.”
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe gave his full support to the FA’s investigation, adding: “We have made great progress in the past 20 years in tackling football hooliganism in this country and will not tolerate any return to the dark days of the 70′s and 80′s when it plagued the game.”
The Football League, which organises the Carling Cup, condemned the scenes and promised to help identify and punish those involved. Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, told the BBC he expected to discuss the violence at a routine meeting with FA chief executive Ian Watmore on Wednesday.
He explained: “It’s important to get to the bottom of it but too many hysterical over-reactions don’t help. I can assure you the vast majority of Millwall and West Ham supporters will be as horrified by events that occurred as everybody else.”
The riots are also likely to go agianst England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup, and will leave those in charge with the job of explaining that this 70′s moment was indeed a one-off, as figures show a more family feel to matchdays, and that it will not happen again, which is what almost everyone will come to hope and expect.
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