Four police officers were injured with 13 arrests made due to crowd trouble during their 2-1 win over Anderlecht in the Europa League. West Ham defeated Anderlecht 2-1 thanks to goals from Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma, but there was disturbance near the end of the game. One of the officers might have a fractured wrist, and another might require stitches for a head wound. Two other officers sustained head injuries during the ruckus. Chairs and flares were thrown from inside the away section, necessitating the intervention of officers donning protective gear to calm the situation down. One man was held for the suspected assault on the police officer who allegedly fractured his wrist. For separate offenses unrelated to the police assaults, 12 people were held.
“The players should have moved on by now, and in my opinion, they did. The more we think about it, the less we want to cause trouble. No football team wants to be connected with that given how much society and the world have changed, and I know I don’t want it at West Ham,” head coach David Moyes said. “It’s wonderful that the press representative supported the club. They are a fantastic football squad, and they ought to get a lot of praise. They are perfectly entitled to want to protect their own club. Everyone’s focus is diverted whenever there is crowd commotion of any kind. I had no interest in talking about it since it’s one of those subjects you don’t want to talk about. I don’t want to draw attention to it further.”
“Since we don’t tolerate this kind of behavior, either at home or on the road, the club will keep discussing this with its fans. We will discuss our vehement opposition to this with UEFA and its supporters. We sincerely apologize to West Ham for this behaviour,” Anderlecht spokesperson said.
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