Crowd Violence Mars Carling Cup Tie
Violence erupts at League Cup Second Round Tie as Man Stabbed
Metropolitan Police reported prior to the match that ‘planned’ fighting had broken out between fans of the London rivals outside of West Ham's Boleyn Ground. Despite large numbers of riot police on the streets between the ground and the tube station (some 600 yards away) separating the fans, some Millwall fans had managed to break the divide.
Eye witness reports have come through from the scene stating that bricks and other missiles were thrown between the two sets of fans and a 44-year-old man was stabbed in the chest around 8.25pm BST, sometime after the match had kicked off. He is said to be in a stable condition, whilst other fans were seen fleeing the scene with faces covered in blood.
A Millwall fan told the BBC: "It was like a war zone outside the stadium. There was fighting all round.
"I brought my kids with me tonight and they've seen some violence that is indescribable."
Another fan stated "I was in a throng walking up and a group of hooligans came for us.
"The police wanted to help but they were clearly afraid to use force. I am still shaking. I thought I was going to die."
Pitch Invasions
Trouble continued inside the ground throughout the game which was played in a somewhat hostile atmosphere, with three pitch invasions from West Ham fans greeting two of their goals as well as the final whistle.
The first invasion occurred after Junior Stanislas’ 87th minute strike leveled the match after Neil Harris had put Millwall ahead. Once the pitch was cleared the game continued and went to extra time.
During the extra 30 minutes West Ham were awarded a penalty for handball, which was dispatched by Stanislas. This again prompted a pitch invasion and police were forced to redeploy within the stadium to prevent further scenes of trouble. A third goal from Zavon Hines sealed a 3-1 win for the hammers, which again saw thousands of fans invade the Upton Park pitch.
Culprits To Be Banned
Police made a number of arrests outside the ground for offences ranging from affray and assault to breach of a football banning order.
The violence outside is said to have been caused by a large number of fans, some of whom did not have tickets to the game and had planned the violence in advance.
The incidents will be investigated by both the Metropolitan Police and the FA, with a spokesman for the football governing body stating that all culprits are to be banned from football for life.
BBC NEWS
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