Man stabbed at West Ham v Millwall match - 26th Aug 2009 7:02pm
Man stabbed as trouble erupts at West Ham v Millwall Carling Cup game
A man has been stabbed and violent battles have broken out between rival fans in "large-scale" crowd trouble at Upton Park.
Hundreds of fans are involved in the disorder which police said was caused by people without tickets to the West Ham v Millwall Carling Cup second-round game, who had planned to start trouble.
A spokesman for Metropolitan police said more officers were being rushed to the scene outside Upton Park, in east London. "There is large-scale trouble involving hundreds of fans which we are dealing with at the moment," he added.
Police said that the victim of the stabbing was a 44-year-old man who is now in a stable condition in hospital. Officers have made two arrests, one for disorder and the second for breach of a banning order. Police said the stabbing, in Priory Road close to the stadium, is connected to the fighting and the man is being treated by paramedics.
Outside John Whittingham, 35, a caretaker who lives near the ground, said: "There were lots of scuffles and fights before the game. I saw a couple of people with bloody faces. There was lots of shouting and a lot of bottles were thrown. People were throwing bricks but I haven't got a clue where they were finding them. Some people were trying to rip bollards off the pavement. There were also some small fires lighted."
Builder Peter Simpson, 35, from Southend, Essex, said the clashes were between rival football fans. "It was kicking off all over the place and the police didn't seem to be able to stop it," he said. "There were quite a few people injured. It was quite nasty."
Rubbish, shards of glass and beer cans were strewn across Green Street, near to the ground, and bricks could be seen in rubbish bins. About 50 police officers in riot gear congregated outside Upton Park Tube station as they waited for the final whistle. Several hundred fans were seen leaving the match before the game ended.
Inside the ground, pockets of violence also broke out. Some supporters made it on to the pitch. The rival fans taunted one another as news of the fighting outside filtered through, while the game finished 1-1, meaning an extra 30 minutes would be played. When West Ham then took the lead in extra-time, 50 or 60 fans ran on the pitch. The players were forced off the field for a short time. As the final whistle blew, with the West Ham running out 3-1 winners, hundreds of fans invaded the pitch. Police and stewards battled with fans in an attempt to remove them from the field of play.
As thousands of fans flooded from the ground, police closed several roads surrounding Upton Park and ushered them towards the Tube station. Around 200 officers in riot gear, backed up by at least 20 mounted officers, patrolled outside the station.
source
A man has been stabbed and violent battles have broken out between rival fans in "large-scale" crowd trouble at Upton Park.
Hundreds of fans are involved in the disorder which police said was caused by people without tickets to the West Ham v Millwall Carling Cup second-round game, who had planned to start trouble.
A spokesman for Metropolitan police said more officers were being rushed to the scene outside Upton Park, in east London. "There is large-scale trouble involving hundreds of fans which we are dealing with at the moment," he added.
Police said that the victim of the stabbing was a 44-year-old man who is now in a stable condition in hospital. Officers have made two arrests, one for disorder and the second for breach of a banning order. Police said the stabbing, in Priory Road close to the stadium, is connected to the fighting and the man is being treated by paramedics.
Outside John Whittingham, 35, a caretaker who lives near the ground, said: "There were lots of scuffles and fights before the game. I saw a couple of people with bloody faces. There was lots of shouting and a lot of bottles were thrown. People were throwing bricks but I haven't got a clue where they were finding them. Some people were trying to rip bollards off the pavement. There were also some small fires lighted."
Builder Peter Simpson, 35, from Southend, Essex, said the clashes were between rival football fans. "It was kicking off all over the place and the police didn't seem to be able to stop it," he said. "There were quite a few people injured. It was quite nasty."
Rubbish, shards of glass and beer cans were strewn across Green Street, near to the ground, and bricks could be seen in rubbish bins. About 50 police officers in riot gear congregated outside Upton Park Tube station as they waited for the final whistle. Several hundred fans were seen leaving the match before the game ended.
Inside the ground, pockets of violence also broke out. Some supporters made it on to the pitch. The rival fans taunted one another as news of the fighting outside filtered through, while the game finished 1-1, meaning an extra 30 minutes would be played. When West Ham then took the lead in extra-time, 50 or 60 fans ran on the pitch. The players were forced off the field for a short time. As the final whistle blew, with the West Ham running out 3-1 winners, hundreds of fans invaded the pitch. Police and stewards battled with fans in an attempt to remove them from the field of play.
As thousands of fans flooded from the ground, police closed several roads surrounding Upton Park and ushered them towards the Tube station. Around 200 officers in riot gear, backed up by at least 20 mounted officers, patrolled outside the station.
source