‘Can’t do that’ – West Ham warned they could be doing something illegal ahead of Tottenham game
West Ham are preparing to face Tottenham in a hotly contested London derby clash.
Spurs travel for a clash with West Ham on Saturday, 13 September, as Premier League action returns to the London Stadium after the international break.
The Hammers come into the clash on the front foot after Graham Potter oversaw a 3-0 West Ham win against Nottingham Forest last time out.
By comparison, Thomas Frank’s side lost to Bournemouth, but Tottenham still have Jeff Stelling’s backing over West Ham moving into the weekend’s action.
With that being said, activity could be going on in and around East London, which won’t go down well with supporters attending the clash.
West Ham to confiscate half-and-half scarves vs Tottenham
There is no hiding away from the rivalry between the Lilywhites and the Irons moving into this first meeting of the Premier League season.
This could see West Ham name an attacking 11 against Tottenham in the hope of getting on the front foot at the London Stadium.
If they are to do so, the Hammers players would typically play into the atmosphere inside the stadium built up by the claret and blue faithful.
This may be scuppered somewhat as West Ham plan to remove half-and-half scarves from supporters entering the ground.
The hope is that away fans won’t be able to access home sections of the arena in what is likely to be a potentially volatile match.
It is fair to say that this has been seen as a bizarre measure by many, with Alan Brazil and Gabby Agbonlahor weighing in on the decision, the latter suggesting that it may actually be illegal.
Speaking live via talkSPORT on 12 September, Brazil said: “I’m reading today that they’ll confiscate them, but I don’t think that’s allowed.”
Former Villa forward Agbonlahor added: “You’re asking for trouble if you sell those outside West Ham’s stadium. West Ham have said they’re banning them.”
This was before Brazil cut in to say: “You can’t do that; you can’t confiscate them. It’s your property. How can they do that? I don’t think you can do that, legally.”
Police need to be on top of any incidents in West Ham vs Tottenham
There are ways of keeping fan trouble to a minimum without potentially instigating issues between supporters and stewards.
Should this news not be widespread enough, and a genuine supporter comes in with a half-and-half scarf around them, it could cause more problems than it’s worth to rip it away from them.
It will be interesting to see how the Hammers’ security deal with this issue and whether any issues are caused outside of the London Stadium.
There is a chance that this becomes a bit of a non-issue, given that most members of the claret and blue faithful wouldn’t want to be seen with Spurs on their scarf ahead of the derby.
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