West Ham fan describes 'scary' attack by AZ Alkmaar supporters

1 year ago 35

Watch: Chaotic scenes arsenic fans clash wrong the AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar

A West Ham protagonist sat successful a conception of a stadium attacked by AZ Alkmaar fans aft the Europa Conference League semi-final said determination were nary constabulary adjacent and stewards could not cope.

Several West Ham players confronted the radical that had attacked the country that contained their friends and family.

Russell Raphael described the incidental astatine the AFAS Stadion arsenic "scary".

"There were stewards determination but nary constabulary to halt them," Raphael told the BBC News Channel.

"More than 30 of them successful balaclavas someway breached their country and were moving towards us.

"Some precise brave West Ham fans, astir 10 rows to our right, were doing their champion to halt them, the stewards were doing their best.

"The players alternatively of celebrating with the main distant enactment panicked and saw their families being threatened, truthful they precise understandably ran to get involved.

"These [fans in] balaclavas, hooded, each dressed successful black, it is simply a scary happening and we were precise fortunate not to beryllium physically involved."

Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma were among the players who tried to intervene, portion the 87-year-old begetter of West Ham manager David Moyes was reportedly sat successful the stands successful the Netherlands.

It is understood the families of the players were unharmed.

West Ham won the crippled 1-0 for a 3-1 aggregate victory.

"The information going successful was fine. You expect to beryllium herded similar cattle successful these distant games, that's the mode it is," added Raphael, who watched the lucifer with his son, Aidan.

"They kept america backmost for a agelong clip aft the crippled and determination was a batch of constabulary going out. I didn't consciousness successful information astir the ground. In the crushed it was conscionable stewards who were intelligibly incapable to header with what was going on.

"It indispensable person taken 10 minutes for the constabulary to arrive."

European football's governing assemblage Uefa volition reappraisal reports of the incidents earlier deciding connected immoderate action.

Dutch constabulary said they were investigating footage of the incidental but nary arrests had been made.

"I was disappointed due to the fact that I felt similar it took the attraction disconnected the squad and what we did," said Moyes connected Friday.

"There was thing we could do, oregon that West Ham arsenic a nine could do. Like anyone, if you saw your household members successful occupation past you'd spell and assistance retired and that was the situation.

"Unfortunately it's taken up a batch of the quality and time. But we're not letting it instrumentality distant from the information we reached the final, which is simply a superb achievement."

AZ Alkmaar manager Pascal Jansen said helium was "a small spot ashamed" that the incidental had happened successful their stadium, portion Pantelis Hatzidiakos was 1 of respective AZ players who condemned the violence.

"I deliberation it's bittersweet what happened. My household was up there. I person been successful interaction with them and my woman said they were shaking," the Greece defender told Dutch television.

"I don't adjacent telephone them supporters. Just enactment location if you person specified intentions."

How to travel West Ham connected the BBC banner