FA want UEFA assurances if West Ham United reach Conference League final
The Football Association want assurances from UEFA that the Europa Conference League final can be run safely if West Ham United qualify, according to the Daily Mail.
The final is scheduled to take place in Prague’s Eden Arena on 7 June, which has a capacity of 20,800.
And there are growing fears that thousands of Hammers supporters will make the trip to the city without a ticket, raising safety concerns of overcrowding.
“The FA and Metropolitan Police are concerned that the Europa Conference League final could present a public order risk if West Ham reach the showpiece in Prague’s 20,800-capacity Eden Arena,” Matt Hughes wrote for the Daily Mail (Page 59, 9 May).
“If the Hammers progress there are fears thousands of ticketless supporters will descend on the Czech capital. Around 10,000 West Ham fans without tickets attended last year’s Europa League semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt, which led to violent scenes in the city with travelling supporters attacked by Eintracht Frankfurt ultras.
“The FA will demand assurances from UEFA that the event can be run safely if West Ham qualify, particularly given the chaos that marred Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid in Paris last season, which an independent report deemed was ‘the primary responsibility’ for UEFA.”
Time to prepare
It’s set to be a very exciting few weeks for West Ham, who begin their push for a spot in the Europa Conference League final by hosting Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the semi-final first leg on Thursday (11 May).
The London Stadium will be absolutely bouncing, not only because of the match at hand but also because they have just witnessed their team defeat Manchester United 1-0, with that result on Sunday (7 May) essentially securing their Premier League survival.
While not mathematically safe just yet, the victory for David Moyes over his former side will have lifted a huge weight off his shoulders.
Premier League safety will still be a priority, but the boss can now focus much of his energy on another top display against AZ Alkmaar in front of the Hammers faithful.
But West Ham reaching the final will definitely be a worry for the FA, who will not want a repeat of the situation involving Liverpool fans in Paris whatsoever.
Fortunately, UEFA have some time on their hands between now and the final to hopefully prepare the stage properly in the case that West Ham fans will be there.