West Ham have promised to ban for life any supporters who are identified following trouble before their Premier League clash with Manchester United at Upton Park on Tuesday evening.
Manchester United did not arrive at the ground until 7.10pm, prompting the kick-off to be delayed until 8.30pm and the team coach had to battle through throngs of West Ham fans gathering outside the stadium as they prepared to say goodbye.
As the driver manoeuvred his way through the car park gates, the coach was pelted with glass bottles and other missiles — breaking and damaging the tinted windows, with one police officer and a member of the public suffering minor injuries.
Winston Reid’s header gave the Hammers a 3-2 win but the game was overshadowed by the trouble and a statement from the club said: “It was an extraordinary night full of extraordinary moments in front of extraordinary fans. 99 percent of whom behaved impeccably and were a credit to the club.
“We have already had thousands of Tweets and emails from fans to say how proud they were to be a part of such a special evening in West Ham’s history.
“However, we are aware that there were some supporters outside the Boleyn Ground who didn’t act in an appropriate way when the Manchester United team bus was damaged.
“That was not acceptable and we will work with the police to identify those responsible and ban them for life.”
The club’s joint-chairman David Sullivan releasecd a statement on Tuesday morning, he said: “If we were to have scripted how our final game at the Boleyn would have played out, it wouldn’t have been much different to last night’s match. The West Ham family then all celebrated our legends and former players together in what was a truly fitting ceremony to say goodbye to our home of 112 years.
“Sadly, the actions of very small minority of people outside the ground prior to kick-off risks overshadowing those celebrations. I want to be clear - their behaviour was completely unacceptable and does not represent our Club or our values.
“When I was asked about the incident prior to yesterday’s game, I was unaware of the damage that had occurred to the Manchester United team bus. I want to apologise to Manchester United for that damage and assure them that we will be doing all we can to track down those responsible and ban them for life.
“This morning I have already tasked my senior team to work with the police to identify them as their behaviour belongs in the past and not in a future that promises so much for our great Club.
“I truly hope that in due course we will look back on what happened in the stadium rather than what happened outside and remember our farewell to the Boleyn for all the right reasons.”
