Alex Crook slams UEFA after ‘horrible scenes’ in West Ham United v AZ Alkmaar clash last season
The sanctions from UEFA against AZ Alkmaar fans for their actions in the match against West Ham do not go far enough, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.
The Dutch club have been fined £68,670 after their supporters attacked Hammers fans in their Europa Conference League semi-final second leg last season.
Visiting supporters and even some of the West Ham players had to intervene to protect those being attacked in the stands.
“Certainly they should be made to play at least one game behind closed doors,” Crook said live on talkSPORT. “They have been given a one-match suspension, but that has been suspended for two years.
“It doesn’t go far enough. They were very horrible scenes, and it could have been a lot worse. It was a horrendous situation, and once again the sanctions from UEFA do not go far enough.
“They certainly should have to play at least one game, if not more, with no supporters inside the stadium. What message does this send out to those thugs? They’ve got away with it.
Really disappointing
Unsurprisingly, the sanction from UEFA is nowhere near good enough, and as Crook says, simply means the guilty party have gotten away with it.
The sanction won’t impact them whatsoever, and now there is nothing stopping them from doing the same again in the near future.
That is unless AZ Alkmaar also take action against those culpable, which is really something the club should do if UEFA won’t, which they clearly are not.
It was supposed to be a fantastic evening for West Ham and everyone associated with the club, but it was ruined by a small section of home supporters who had only one intention on their minds as the game drew to a close.
Fortunately, the situation did not escalate into tragedy, but sadly it may happen again given UEFA’s lenient stance. It was great to see people taking care of the supporters, with West Ham then going on to win the tournament.
In other West Ham news, one pundit has told the Hammers to wait until next summer to sign one wantaway Celtic star.